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General Discussion Area / Re: Towing Illegally M4 West bound Junct 16 - 17
« on: 12 January 2009, 00:09:48 »Quote
Hello All
Just a friendly post to the member of your club I happened to come across this afternoon, silver omega estate with white "oemga owners club" sticker in the rear window towing a met gold omega saloon.
Whilst I appreciate that there are occassions where a vehicle enthusiast may wish to help another fellow member or feeling that he or she knows what they are doing perhaps this particular member may wish to think before he embarks upon a journey of illegality and of course potentially put his life or that of other road users at risk. I am sad to report such an incident this afternoon whilst displaying the good name of your club in the rear window.
The silver omega was pulling what seemed to be a decent omega saloon, however on an A frame (specifically allowed only for the removal of disabled vehicles from IMMEDIATE DANGER), the chap had placed two rear brake/tail lights run off a power feed from the towing vehicle, not a problem apart from the fact that the o/s was not working, THERE WERE NO INDICATORS fitted next to the part functioning rear tail lights, the law also says that ANY TOWING VEHICLE must display the number plate of the pulling vehicle, hence why recovery guys use a light bar with lights, the towing vehicle HAD NO REAR INDICATORS fitted to the car being towed, the offending vehicles were travelling at a slower speed than the normal traffic speed and thus HAS TO HAVE A BEACON FLASHING,(not hazard warning lights as that causes confusion to other motorists).
Given this rank amateurish and dam right illegal approach it begs the question whether he had the appropriate insurance cover for towing another vehicle (probably not), and if doing this act for some form of financial reward, whether he had a tachograph fitted to the towing vehicle.
If this is you and your happily reading this thread thinking you complete *******, let me just say I have posted this as a public flogging in order to save you from 6 points on your licence, impounding of your rather nice omega saloon and around £2-3000 fine from VOSA should there have been any money or the potential for money to be gifted by the recipient of the nice shinny gold omega.
Consider yourself flogged and just think before you do these things on the public highway.
That's something I will have to remember when my son breaks down on the motorway and I receive a call from the Traffic cops asking me to tow him off or be liable for payment of a recovery vehicle. Do I tell them that a Don't have a tachograph or a beacon in my car aye right.
Sorry cops just want a vehicle moved as soon as possible of the hard shoulder and couldn't care less about beacons,insurance etc.