Police are pulling over loads of cars in my local town

[VivaLeBeaver]

Stopping people and asking them where they’re going, is it essential, etc. Glad they’re taking it seriously.

And not local to me, but saw this “ticket” on fb. So police saying you can’t drive somewhere to exercise. I know that was being discussed earlier.

Aren't you also most likely to have a car accident closer to home?

Only because most car journeys are close to home. You are still way more likely to need medical/ambulance help if you cycle for a mile from your home than drive from it. Riding is more dangerous again. It's harder to quantify, because a steeplechaser is at much higher risk than someone on a quiet hack, but anyone who works in A&E in a rural area will see lots of riders.

At the moment, according to the MN version of the Govt rules, I could gallop or cycle for an unlimited distance as long as I did it from home and only once a day, but I would be putting the NHS under intolerable strain if I drive the dog a mile up the road to avoid the risk of infecting my neighbours. That seems nuts.

Just seen this report on Sky News

North Yorkshire Police announced they are now deploying random vehicle checkpoints to ensure people are only making essential journeys.

The force's officers will be stopping vehicles and asking motorists where they are going and why they are going there.

The checkpoints will be unannounced and could appear anywhere any time, North Yorkshire Police said.

I am definitely more likely to get run over in the scenario I have described above:

"A bit further up though there is a narrow road bridge over a stream with no verge or pavement and a 60mph limit. Currently I am taking my life in my hands and trying to negotiate that stretch of road with my dogs "

than I am to be involved in a car accident if instead I drove

Lots of people cannot access on line shopping currently and have a big family yet shops only let them take enough food for one day ( 3 item restriction etc) so the currently shopping problems means plenty have no choice but to go out once a day to the shops

I don't get this comment. 3 packets of cheese, 3x6 eggs, 3 chickens, 3x 4l of milk, 3 loaves of bread, 3 large cartons of orange juice

How can anyone need 3 of these every day?

Avon & Somerset police as an entity are bloody useless (not the individuals on the ground). When we lived in that policing area, they didn’t have enough coppers to investigate actual crime and given they’ve fairly recently closed about 90% of their police stations I’m not sure where they are getting the manpower to hang around beauty spots hassling dog walkers.

They are pulling drivers over in Exeter. My neighbour has just been pulled over and told she should not have been out in the car to walk her dogs!

It’s not fake, my friend is a PSCO in the AVon and Somerset, she’s shared this on her official page warring people not to drive to a place to walk.

I am pretty sure that the Avon & Somerset flyer is photoshopped from the New Zealand one, but anyway, the law is here and it is clear - nothing in it says you can't drive for exercise: Nothing in this SI says that you can't drive for your exercise:

www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/350/pdfs/uksi_20200350_en.pdf

I hope that clears that up.

Devon & Cornwall police need to understand the rules then too if they are pulling someone over for driving somewhere to walk their dogs.

I don't get this comment. 3 packets of cheese, 3x6 eggs, 3 chickens, 3x 4l of milk, 3 loaves of bread, 3 large cartons of orange juice

Our co op are letting us but 1 x 2 pint of milk, 1 x 6 eggs (not that they’ve any in stock) 1 x bakery item, 3 x any other produce, 2 x other dairy. I can’t even buy a yogurt for each of us! 3 x other produce does not mean I can buy three tins tuna, three tins corned beef, etc. I can but three things full stop!

I agree @cologne4711.

Like a pp I also live rurally but I can’t walk the dogs from my house as it is a narrow country lane.

Very good.

My son may come over to me but I am self isolating, aged 70 and not very vulnerable really but would be considered so. We keep a distance, he picks up and delivers to porch so if he was pulled over all he would have to say is he is doing something for his old mum. We haven't done it since Mother's Day, however, He has picked up an urgent prescription for an elderly friend and that took hours! We talk on the phone. I'm content with that, like my own company.

I'm more concerned about him than me, quite honestly.

@cologne4711 www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2020-03-26/police-ban-driving-anywhere-to-walk-your-dog-or-exercise/

For people who need to read the legislation for themselves
www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/350/pdfs/uksi_20200350_en.pdf

Section 6 covers restriction of movement.

or a twitter thread that helps explain the legislation
twitter.com/AdamWagner1/status/1243201289258962945

Exercise is specifically listed as an exception to the restriction on movement in the legislation.

The police need to sort this out. The very last thing we need at a time when we want the public to accept stringent restrictions on liberty, is police forces winging it and being inconsistent with both each other and the law.

nothing in it says you can't drive for exercise: Nothing in this SI says that you can't drive for your exercise:

Police certainly don’t always get it right. It was Avon and Somerset police who gave a friend a ticket for not having their caravan breakaway cable attached legally and made him put it on in an unsafe manner. His cable was legal and safe until they interfered and wouldn’t listen at the roadside. The caravan club and Alko the hitch manufacturer had to get involved as they were pulling over loads of caravans and giving them dangerous advice.

A few months later I saw Manchester road traffic police spouting the same rubbish on twitter and told them they were wrong and dangerous. They argued the toss until I tweeted pictures of the official advice from Alko and then they just shut up.

Sorry, I’ve digressed. But just examples that they do sometimes have a tendency to go off down the wrong line.

Christ people use your common sense and understand it's about the spirit of the guidelines and not exactly what they do or don't say. Stop trying to find loopholes to bend the rules!

At the moment we're trying to reduce all unnecessary travel and social contact. We're also trying to ease the burden on the NHS and emergency services.

In the short term getting exercise is not vital to your life or even your dog's life. IT'S NOT ESSENTIAL. You won't die if you don't do it, you might if you contract COVID-19.

You don't need to drive to exercise. You can exercise at home or go for a short walk near home. Therefore it's not essential for you to drive to have a walk. It might not be ideal and I think here is where some people are struggling. They're confusing ideal and optimal with essential...

Wake up and realise everyone has to make sacrifices. This is a global pandemic and people are whinging they can't drive to have a walk.... Beggar's belief....

Random well said.

Looks like they've run out of donuts in Avon. Shame they hadn't run out of printer ink before these were printed.
I hope the people of Avon have ordered their DVT stockings!

Exercise is specifically listed as an exception to the restriction on movement in the legislation.

Yes, and they're not saying you can't exercise. They're saying exercise on your doorstep, don't make unnecessary car journeys. So if you live on the beach or by a mountain, then you can walk there. If you need to drive, you can't.

6.—(1) During the emergency period, no person may leave the place where they are living
without reasonable excuse.
(b) to take exercise either alone or with other members of their household;
(f) to travel for the purposes of work or to provide voluntary or charitable services, where it
is not reasonably possible for that person to work, or to provide those services, from the
place where they are living;

The exceptions are you may travel to work, it says nothing about travelling to exercise. So you can't do it.

Randomschoolworker19 I'm making plenty of sacrifices, thanks. This is my first day off since 8 March, I have barely worked less than a 14 hour day in that time, often 18 hours, and I'm dealing with some fucking traumatic stuff.

I am all for people practising social distancing, but no one is going to contract Covid from driving to a more isolated walking spot. Quite the opposite. If it is not against the law, it is perfectly sensible to do so.

I just find it quite extraordinary that the police cannot attend burglaries or robberies but now seemingly have the resources to monitor where people are walking

And me, soft targets, innit?

I live somewhere you really can’t exercise, still fairly busy roads, people currently speeding and no pavements.

@poltergoose Simon is fab!! He's really hands on and approachable.