Accidents DO happen

Police Scotland chief constable Sir Stephen House says he doesn’t accept that collisions are ‘accidents’ (Mail).

The definition of an ‘accident’ is ‘an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury’.

This i s the definition used by insurance companies in their legal contracts — motor, household, employers’ and public l i ability insurance.

of course, accidents are preventable, but they do happen in real-life situations, usually in what the law calls ‘the agony of the moment’.

The law requires there is evidence of a moving traffic violation having occurred before a prosecution can be brought but, applying Sir Stephen House’s judgmental statement, it would seem the police are intent on a prosecution of one or other or all parties in a road traffic accident, irrespective of the circumstances.

Accidents do happen and the law has stated there are risks to be encountered and dealt with on a daily basis. Sir Stephen House’s statement only reinforces the public perception that Police Scotland is more concerned with persecuting the motorist rather than prosecuting the possession of cannabis, a classified drug.

At a time when the public perception of the police force is not as high as it should be, surely there is a better way of using resources rather than chasing t he cash cow of t he motorist?

ALAN LESLEY-BAYNE, East Kilbride, Lanarkshire.