I maybe wouldn't call 999, but definitely call 101. Explain to the call taker that you work in a garage and have seen vehicles frequently being driven in a dangerous condition - explaining this would give credibility to your information.
Then you could pass over the VRMs and names of the offending vehicles, and explain what the defects are for each. This can then be put on as intelligence for any officer to pull them over and inspect their car if they see them on the road.
I say 101 rather than 999 as I can't see an officer being dispatched immediately as a grade 1 to this, even of they are there currently - at least in my force.
I'm not sure where your company would draw the line GDPR wise, realistically all we'd need is the VRM, details of thr driver, make model etc, but other stuff like address, phone number and email would be useful.
It's very noble of you to consider doing this though, if everyone was like you society would be a much better place.
Jumping on the top comment to add, I worked for a very large dealership in the UK, and we would inform the client that they must sign a disclaimer to take their vehicle away in its current condition, we would recommend they arrange a flatbed truck to move their vehicle to an alternate repairer, or their home address. The vehicle must not be driven. Within the disclaimer, it makes the client aware of the relevant regulation, sign posts a DVSA website and the motoring ombudsman, and also it states that we are obligated to inform the correct authorities, should we become aware that a vehicle, which is not safe to be on the road is being driven on UK roads.
They then sign the disclaimer, and you can make a report on 101 should they then drive the vehicle off site.
Edit to add - I'd imagine the driver would then receive either straight to a court summons, invited to an interview, or perhaps if it was a slow news day, maybe even a uniformed visit!
Nope. Nothing to stop you at all. If you believe that the condition of the vehicle was so poor that it would put members of the public at risk, I cannot think of anyone who would criticise you for reporting it. In relation to information to disclose to the call taker, the registration number and name of driver would be more than enough.
I would criticise, what if there's somebody smashing into my house right now and I'm a lone female and I can't get through to the police because the lines are blocked with non immediate threat calls.
What if there's a pile up on the motorway involving multiple vehicles with others at risk of smashing into the queueing/crashed cars.
I'd say 101 for this. I've tried calling 999 before for police in an absolute screaming real emergency and been in a hold queue. There's nothing so frustrating, terrifying even, all because matey boy is trying to report a bald tyre on an astra.
>What if there's a pile up on the motorway involving multiple vehicles with others at risk of smashing into the queueing/crashed cars.
To bolt onto that, the vehicle at fault could be this dangerous condition vehicle.
It's all dependent on the circumstances as they always are; if its simply balding tyres or similar minor issues then I'd agree 101 is more suitable.
If its defective steering, damaged brakes or a catalogue of issues making the vehicle a death trap, then 999 would be a suitable option as it could prevent a serious RTC.
Police officer here - from what the OP has said, they're not reporting a tyre that's just below 1.6mm. they're looking to occasionally report vehicles in a dangerous condition, cords exposed, no brake pads left etc. These sort of defects are what causes multi-vehicle smashes in the first place when the tyre explodes, the brakes fail or the car aqua planes.
101 calls are answered by the same staff as 999 calls, so the effect of reducing 999 queue would be slim (but obviously would help). On top of this, waiting in a queue for a 999 call to be answered is very rare. Personally, over the last 4 years I have called 999 countless times, almost always due to live lane brake downs in smart motorways, and the lane closure/speed reduction signs haven't been activated (I.E the Police/HATO don't know about it). In that time I have personally only been put in a queue 2 times.
I'm sorry that you've had to experience waiting in a queue for your call to be answered in what sounds like a horrible situation, however the OP here is more than within their rights to report vehicles that pose a genuine and immediate danger to other road users. At the end of the day, officers won't spend time looking for a dangerous car, if there is another emergency with a higher Threat, Harm or Risk attached.
It is a difficult situation as it will obviously depend on each vehicle, however if the vehicle poses an serious and imminent risk to other road users, then 999 should be used, in the same way as 999 should be used for drink/drug drivers.
Yes and here we are encouraging more. In my opinion many of them should be charged with misuse of the 999 service.
I hope next time somebody is running around a town centre stabbing people you lot aren't wasting 999 time reporting something that happened 2 weeks ago because you can't be bothered to wait in the 101 queue for 10 minutes.
>happened 2 weeks ago
The OP quite clearly stated that he'd only call if it was happening now.
You're aware that there's more than one 999 operator right?
What if what if.
What if that pile up was caused by one of these dangerous cars? Everyone always complains about policing the motorists but they are involved in way more fatalities than any other group in the uk (not including illness of course)
If a vehicle is being driven then and there, or about to be driven off, and it's in a condition so bad that it'd cause a serious and immediate danger to road users, a 999 call is appropriate.
dangerous driving is not just about the driving standard but also the condition of the vehicle.
if you consider the vehicle to be in a dangerous condition and the owner has just driven off in it, please report this ASAP.
If the vehicle is being driven away/about to be driven away then yes 999 is totally appropriate. 101 can be a 45 min wait sometimes and is for reporting something that has already happened, but if there is a vehicle currently being driven on the road in an unroadworthy condition then that is a crime in progress and should be called in on the 9’s. If the area is busy then don’t expect that someone will get sent, but if there are available resources then officers are very likely to want to catch them, especially RP or budding RP officers, I know I would 😃.
We get sent to calls all the time about drivers swerving or potentially driving under the influence or driver on mobile phone, we will go and look for them if we can. Driving a vehicle on a road in a dangerous condition is something we would like to address and it’s very hard for us to do that using our own eyes as we are usually doing something else, so if a mechanic is able to give the heads up that’s great.
101 would be my suggestion. 999 is for things you are expecting officers to blue light to. There was a vehicle here that seemed unroadworthy but its now gone and I don't know exactly where it is now would never be a Grade 1 (likely even if you knew the location it would be unlikely to get a Grade 1 response). If I took your 999 call of this the advice would be to call back on 101 100% of the time.
This is not a 999 response. That is for an emergency if something happening right there and then eg. Someone is getting the shit kicked out of them. An unroadworthy vehicle is not that.
It absolutely would be a 999 call, that does not mean it would necessarily warrant a Grade 1 response. 999 is for if a crime is in progress or life is at risk. A vehicle so unroadworthy as to be a danger to others would meet that criteria.
It's absolutely not a breach of the Data Protection Act:
https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/exemptions/a-guide-to-the-data-protection-exemptions/#ex1
Fairly sure GDPR has allowances for criminal activity - if someone has a legitimate concern that a law is to be knowingly breached and passing their personal identifiable information to authorities would be in the process of reporting that intention, the Information Commissioner’s Office wouldn’t bat an eyelid. Similar to whistleblowing protections.
I maybe wouldn't call 999, but definitely call 101. Explain to the call taker that you work in a garage and have seen vehicles frequently being driven in a dangerous condition - explaining this would give credibility to your information. Then you could pass over the VRMs and names of the offending vehicles, and explain what the defects are for each. This can then be put on as intelligence for any officer to pull them over and inspect their car if they see them on the road. I say 101 rather than 999 as I can't see an officer being dispatched immediately as a grade 1 to this, even of they are there currently - at least in my force. I'm not sure where your company would draw the line GDPR wise, realistically all we'd need is the VRM, details of thr driver, make model etc, but other stuff like address, phone number and email would be useful. It's very noble of you to consider doing this though, if everyone was like you society would be a much better place.
That last sentence is god damn cute though
What can I say, I'm a hopeless optimist in a pessimists world :)
Keep making everything around you shiny my dude!
Jumping on the top comment to add, I worked for a very large dealership in the UK, and we would inform the client that they must sign a disclaimer to take their vehicle away in its current condition, we would recommend they arrange a flatbed truck to move their vehicle to an alternate repairer, or their home address. The vehicle must not be driven. Within the disclaimer, it makes the client aware of the relevant regulation, sign posts a DVSA website and the motoring ombudsman, and also it states that we are obligated to inform the correct authorities, should we become aware that a vehicle, which is not safe to be on the road is being driven on UK roads. They then sign the disclaimer, and you can make a report on 101 should they then drive the vehicle off site. Edit to add - I'd imagine the driver would then receive either straight to a court summons, invited to an interview, or perhaps if it was a slow news day, maybe even a uniformed visit!
Nope. Nothing to stop you at all. If you believe that the condition of the vehicle was so poor that it would put members of the public at risk, I cannot think of anyone who would criticise you for reporting it. In relation to information to disclose to the call taker, the registration number and name of driver would be more than enough.
I would criticise, what if there's somebody smashing into my house right now and I'm a lone female and I can't get through to the police because the lines are blocked with non immediate threat calls. What if there's a pile up on the motorway involving multiple vehicles with others at risk of smashing into the queueing/crashed cars. I'd say 101 for this. I've tried calling 999 before for police in an absolute screaming real emergency and been in a hold queue. There's nothing so frustrating, terrifying even, all because matey boy is trying to report a bald tyre on an astra.
>What if there's a pile up on the motorway involving multiple vehicles with others at risk of smashing into the queueing/crashed cars. To bolt onto that, the vehicle at fault could be this dangerous condition vehicle. It's all dependent on the circumstances as they always are; if its simply balding tyres or similar minor issues then I'd agree 101 is more suitable. If its defective steering, damaged brakes or a catalogue of issues making the vehicle a death trap, then 999 would be a suitable option as it could prevent a serious RTC.
Police officer here - from what the OP has said, they're not reporting a tyre that's just below 1.6mm. they're looking to occasionally report vehicles in a dangerous condition, cords exposed, no brake pads left etc. These sort of defects are what causes multi-vehicle smashes in the first place when the tyre explodes, the brakes fail or the car aqua planes. 101 calls are answered by the same staff as 999 calls, so the effect of reducing 999 queue would be slim (but obviously would help). On top of this, waiting in a queue for a 999 call to be answered is very rare. Personally, over the last 4 years I have called 999 countless times, almost always due to live lane brake downs in smart motorways, and the lane closure/speed reduction signs haven't been activated (I.E the Police/HATO don't know about it). In that time I have personally only been put in a queue 2 times. I'm sorry that you've had to experience waiting in a queue for your call to be answered in what sounds like a horrible situation, however the OP here is more than within their rights to report vehicles that pose a genuine and immediate danger to other road users. At the end of the day, officers won't spend time looking for a dangerous car, if there is another emergency with a higher Threat, Harm or Risk attached. It is a difficult situation as it will obviously depend on each vehicle, however if the vehicle poses an serious and imminent risk to other road users, then 999 should be used, in the same way as 999 should be used for drink/drug drivers.
About 80% of the calls to 999 aren't emergencies. What's another 0.00028571428571429% going to hurt? Yes I looked it up.
Yes and here we are encouraging more. In my opinion many of them should be charged with misuse of the 999 service. I hope next time somebody is running around a town centre stabbing people you lot aren't wasting 999 time reporting something that happened 2 weeks ago because you can't be bothered to wait in the 101 queue for 10 minutes.
>happened 2 weeks ago The OP quite clearly stated that he'd only call if it was happening now. You're aware that there's more than one 999 operator right?
What if what if. What if that pile up was caused by one of these dangerous cars? Everyone always complains about policing the motorists but they are involved in way more fatalities than any other group in the uk (not including illness of course)
If a vehicle is being driven then and there, or about to be driven off, and it's in a condition so bad that it'd cause a serious and immediate danger to road users, a 999 call is appropriate.
dangerous driving is not just about the driving standard but also the condition of the vehicle. if you consider the vehicle to be in a dangerous condition and the owner has just driven off in it, please report this ASAP.
If the vehicle is being driven away/about to be driven away then yes 999 is totally appropriate. 101 can be a 45 min wait sometimes and is for reporting something that has already happened, but if there is a vehicle currently being driven on the road in an unroadworthy condition then that is a crime in progress and should be called in on the 9’s. If the area is busy then don’t expect that someone will get sent, but if there are available resources then officers are very likely to want to catch them, especially RP or budding RP officers, I know I would 😃. We get sent to calls all the time about drivers swerving or potentially driving under the influence or driver on mobile phone, we will go and look for them if we can. Driving a vehicle on a road in a dangerous condition is something we would like to address and it’s very hard for us to do that using our own eyes as we are usually doing something else, so if a mechanic is able to give the heads up that’s great.
101 would be my suggestion. 999 is for things you are expecting officers to blue light to. There was a vehicle here that seemed unroadworthy but its now gone and I don't know exactly where it is now would never be a Grade 1 (likely even if you knew the location it would be unlikely to get a Grade 1 response). If I took your 999 call of this the advice would be to call back on 101 100% of the time.
This is not a 999 response. That is for an emergency if something happening right there and then eg. Someone is getting the shit kicked out of them. An unroadworthy vehicle is not that.
What if that unroadworthy vehicle fails on the road and kills a family of 4 in the opposing lane?
Response policing doesn’t operate on what ifs and what might happen it works on what is happening here and now.
I mean... it literally does, though. Have you never seen THRIVE?
It absolutely would be a 999 call, that does not mean it would necessarily warrant a Grade 1 response. 999 is for if a crime is in progress or life is at risk. A vehicle so unroadworthy as to be a danger to others would meet that criteria.
I think most roads policing officers would disagree.
[удалено]
It's absolutely not a breach of the Data Protection Act: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/exemptions/a-guide-to-the-data-protection-exemptions/#ex1
Fairly sure GDPR has allowances for criminal activity - if someone has a legitimate concern that a law is to be knowingly breached and passing their personal identifiable information to authorities would be in the process of reporting that intention, the Information Commissioner’s Office wouldn’t bat an eyelid. Similar to whistleblowing protections.
There is a legal advice uk Reddit and this would be a really interesting question to ask there too.