One of the slowest police chases ever
Tag; you’re it. Remember when you were a kid and ran around your yard, the park or even the neighbourhood playing a game of tag? Wasn’t that fun? You would chase your friends until you caught them. Luckily for many people, the game of “tag” stops before you drive. When a driver has broken the law and is needed to stop by the police, the police officer will often stop the chase if it may endanger the lives of the public.
That wasn’t the case recently by more than a dozen police officers across southern Ontario. Around 4 a.m. someone had stolen a flatbed tractor trailer. By 7 a.m. the police had found it and started the chase along the freeway. When the driver exited the freeway and drove throughout the city, the officer stopped the chase for public safety. Once the tractor trailer reentered the freeway, the chase was back on…sort of.
http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/618098–driver-faces-multiple-charges-in-truck-chase
The maximum speed the tractor trailer could do was 105 km/h because of the ‘speed limiters’ they have with their engines. So, with a maximum speed of 100 km/h on the freeway and with most traffic exceeding that speed by 10 km/h, 15 km/h, 20 km/h or more, here was a driver trying to avoid police by traveling just 5 km/h over the speed limit. I think it became the second slowest police chase on the freeway next to the chase involving OJ Simpson in his white Ford Bronco.
This vehicle thief was a polite driver though. He signaled his lane changes, slowed down for slowing traffic and was driving the truck quite safely. Other than the fact he stole the vehicle, he was a model driver. As a matter of fact, he even signaled to the right before he pulled onto the shoulder to give up his chase and be arrested. If only more drivers signaled their changes, not just auto thieves, it would make the lives of other drivers on the road a lot easier.
The police said in a statement that there was no risk of the stolen truck crashing into other vehicles. That may be the case, but there was a high amount of curious drivers who were following the dozen or so police vehicles so they could see what was happening first hand. Other drivers went across bridges, stopped their vehicles and waved as the police and truck driver drove by. Talk about distracted driving!
The event was carried live by a variety of social media outlets so the public knew where the truck driver was heading. But as they focused their attention to the police and the stolen vehicle, were they aware of what was around them, including in their mirror? Being curious is human nature. Knowing when you’ve crossed the line being curious and adding to the risk is another.
Leave the police to do their job in a safe manner. Avoid getting in their way and avoid doing things that may endanger the lives of other people. That includes being a distraction…during police chases.