Do your job, fine them
I’M a 23-year career, retired police officer from NSW.
I had 18 years in HWP. Medically discharged chronic PTSD, 11 years ago.
In the last 12 months of my career, I went to three fatal crashes involving drivers using mobile phones while driving. Two were females aged 18.
Both had been texting prior to crashing.
I have the utmost respect for all serving and former police officers.
So my comments regarding this story are not aimed at the majority, rather the one officer or so who felt they needed to speak up on this issue.
To that officer or officers, I say this.
There is a community expectation that you will perform your duty no matter how difficult it may seem at the time. Police are employed to enforce the law. The Courts punish.
When you detect a driver using a mobile phone while driving, why are you hesitant to issue the fine?
Have you forgotten the toll on lives the use of these devices is having on us? How many fatal crashes? Serious injury crashes? Or just minor crashes occur through distraction from mobile phones?
Issue the fine!
For my sake, my family’s sake, your family’s sake, do your job and issue the fine!
If the driver receiving the fine, does not want to have the matter heard by the court, then yes, the fixed penalty is going to have to be paid.
But everyone has the option to take these to court.
The driver can still enter a guilty plea at mention date, and then show contrition and request a smaller penalty. And going through this process makes normally law abiding people more aware of their actions and consequences.
If I was issued a fine for a grand for using my phone while driving, it would definitely deter me from doing it again.
To the officer(s) shying at this offence, I say ask yourself these questions.
Would I rather be issuing this ticket or, be going to give another family a death message?
Would I rather issue this ticket or, go to another fatal crash, report to coroner, postmortem examination, and all that entails.
Would I rather issue this ticket to this person now or, tomorrow be dragging their remains from their smashed car that just ran up the back of a parked truck because they had their eyes on the phone instead of on the road ahead?
It happens.
I can see the flashbacks now, smell the blood, hear the ticking sounds as the engine cools, hear the screams, see the compound fractures, see the phone on the floor mid text, or still connected. The cacophony of voices, as various agencies go about their gruesome tasks at the scenes of these crashes.
To me, as a former officer, the answer is simple.
Do your duty. Issue the fine! For every person you detect, you save a life. For every person you detect, 99 go undetected. To all officers, I have the utmost respect and admiration for everything you do. May the thin blue line prevail.
DANNY BOWDEN, Senior Constable NSW Police Force (Retired) Registered number 23351 Last stationed Albury HWP, 2009.