British Spies To Be Allowed To Break Speed Limit 278
An anonymous reader writes "The Telegraph reports, 'Britain's spies are to be given a "licence to speed" for the first time, under changes to motoring laws. While James Bond would no doubt have scorned such niceties, officers in MI5 and MI6 are currently required to obey the rules of the road, even when national security is under threat. Now Robert Goodwill, the transport minister, intends to add the Security Service and the Secret Intelligence Service to the group of agencies with permission to break the speed limit.'"
Re:Stupid interlligence (Score:5, Informative)
Unlikely... they'd get stopped and pulled over just like anyone else.
Pulled over for speeding? In the UK? Since when?
There were hardly any traffic cops remaining on the roads when I left the UK some years ago. Instead, they'll get a photo in the mail, and will presumably write back to say that actually they were a spy on important National Security business, and the police will just forget about it.
Re:Backwards Logic... (Score:5, Informative)
How many people die in traffic accidents compared to terrorist attacks?
If I remember correctly, far more people have been killed by police cars driving at high speed than by terrorists. I was almost hit by one myself some years ago while walking along a country road.
Re:Sirens? (Score:4, Informative)
The Germans have rules even on the \\\ sections. You may not undertake (pass on the right). It's not just a custom. It's a rule and it's my understanding you can actually get a ticket for that. It's also against the law to run out of gas on the Autobahn. I'm sure there are a lot of other rules on the Autobahn that you're ignoring just to beat your Libertarian drum. Face it. The German freeways don't work without rules, and people that actually follow them. When you see videos of people running at speed there, it's a thing of beauty. People actually get out of the way when you flash your headlights at them in the left lane. In the States, you've got all kinds of wankers driving 4-abreast and not passing, with 1/4 mile of clear road in front of them. You have to tailgate and honk to break of those stupid formations sometimes. Idiots.
Re:Sirens? (Score:5, Informative)
...when you flash your headlights at them in the left lane.
Which isn't allowed btw.
But that's one of the rules which is often ignored.
Re:Brits obey speed limits? (Score:4, Informative)
Few people genuinely obey the speed limit but 100mph is pushing it, I rarely ever see people go that speed on UK motorways and for good reason - you'll receive an instant ban from driving for doing so.
Motorway speed limit is 70mph, speed cameras (fixed and in police vehicles) normally have a leeway of 10% + 2mph, so 79mph on a 70mph road before you get caught. If it's your first time getting caught you can in most places go on a speed awareness course and avoid points on your license if you were only speeding within an additional 5mph on top. Speedometers almost always overestimate by a few mph at that speed, so when people are going 80mph on their speedometers the chances are they're under the actual limit that speed cameras are calibrated to catch them at. Some will push it up to 85mph if they've never been caught before and risk a mere course if they did get caught on the off-chance (but frankly from what I've seen even at 85mph as long as the conditions are good and the road is clear the cops wont pull you anyway). A few people push it up to 90mph and chance it, and at that speed the cops will pull you, but 100mph is uncommon, you'll see it maybe what, once per hundred miles on a motorway if that? Most people just aren't willing to risk the chance of an instant ban from driving to go that fast.
Re:Sirens? (Score:5, Informative)
It's legal to flash your headlights in Britain, except for purposes of 'intimidation' and 'alerting other motorists to police activity'. You also cannot clog the passing lane. Not only that you can get a fine for driving too slowly. Bretons are French people from the western region called "Brittany". Perhaps you mean the British? They are also one of the few countries where cars drive on the correct side of the road.
Phillip.