Westgate on Sea- Weekly Update

Westgate on Sea- Weekly Update

Dear residents of Westgate on Sea,

    Nuisance vehicles in the area of Lymington Road have consistently been raised as a priority by the community, and I have been committing considerable time as your Beat Officer exploring ways to address this as a local issue. I absolutely appreciate the safety risk posed by these to other road users and pedestrians, have observed myself some of the dangerous driving they will employ to evade apprehension, and am entirely committed to removing them from our roads.

    Today, whilst conducting patrol, I encountered another off road motorcycle which then failed to stop when indicated and travelled across the fields to evade police. Enquiries at scene allowed the successful recovery and seizure of this vehicle for no insurance under the Road Traffic Act 1988. This was a high performance, electronically powered motorcycle capable of travelling up to 60mph.

    There is no ambiguity regarding vehicles of this nature, they are considered motor vehicles under the Road Traffic Act 1988, must adhere to the legal conditions of a motor vehicle on the road or public, and riders can be prosecuted for various offences. On the lower end of the range is driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence, driving without insurance, careless or dangerous driving, all of which can result in an endorsement on your driving licence and disqualification from driving on conviction. The higher end of the range can include causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by careless driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and causing serious injury by careless driving. These offences include the possibility of a custodial sentence on conviction and a disqualification from driving. 

   There is an important road safety message to promote here. The riders of these vehicles are often not wearing suitable helmets or other safety clothing, are often not visible to other motorists because of the manner in which they are being ridden, and risk significant injury and death in the event of a collision. Often they are ridden by younger members of our society whose assessment of risk is underdeveloped and whose driving experience is minimal. Nationally we have had people killed involving collisions with these types of vehicles, and sadly that is a continued risk whilst they are present and being ridden dangerously. I dread as a Police Officer having to knock on a parents door and explain that their child or loved one has been involved in a collision involving one of these vehicles and they have been seriously injured or killed. 

   If you are a parent or guardian, and your child has one of these vehicles or is requesting one be purchased for them, I request that you explore the above with them, the legal implications, and consider whether you want them to be riding them. These vehicles are often very expensive and are liable to being seized by Kent Police if not adhering to the law, which then means a significant financial loss for the purchaser.

   If you would like to discuss this issue further with me, I am happy to be emailed or contacted through the My Community Voice platform.

With kindest regards

PC Steven England