Photo: Youtube capture
Well, this piece is English dark humor at its finest, but the reality it describes is not necessarily the funniest thing we can think of. All in all, some fellows started a petition addressed to the British Prime Minister David Cameron, asking him to "ban the sale and use of Polite pretend police wear."
In case you already raise an eyebrow and have no clue about this "Polite police wear," let us break it down for you. In the UK, one can freely buy and wear a high-visibility vest that looks pretty much like the ones motorcycle cops use, but with a small difference.
The lettering on the back of the vest reads POLITE instead of POLICE, and the checkered pattern makes these garment look quite similar to those worn by actual police workers. Now, the guy who started the petition says that his actions are targeting those who are trying to impersonate a police officer on the motorbike, and have the upper hand in traffic.
We're not sure about this, because, throughout Europe, motorized police officers have to wear a distinct livery that involves far more than wearing a hi-viz bib. The cops have certain bike models with special decals and lights, and it's rather hard to mistake a chap on Honda Hornet for a cop riding a Pan European, or a BMW R1200RTP, with the white helmets and all.
However, there's no doubt that some motorists can be tricked by the POLITE vests. On the other hand, if such a close word printed on the back of a vest was not deemed illegal until now, what could stop people who manufacture them from bringing into the market new models reading other similar words, such as PRO-LIFE, PROLINE, PROMISE, or whatever they see fit?
The matter is funny enough, as we said in the beginning, but we'd rather agree that someone, somehow, should have some nasty surprises for the jerks who try to make a profit on the road with these POLITE vests. And having them banned by law isn't maybe the most effective idea...
The lettering on the back of the vest reads POLITE instead of POLICE, and the checkered pattern makes these garment look quite similar to those worn by actual police workers. Now, the guy who started the petition says that his actions are targeting those who are trying to impersonate a police officer on the motorbike, and have the upper hand in traffic.
We're not sure about this, because, throughout Europe, motorized police officers have to wear a distinct livery that involves far more than wearing a hi-viz bib. The cops have certain bike models with special decals and lights, and it's rather hard to mistake a chap on Honda Hornet for a cop riding a Pan European, or a BMW R1200RTP, with the white helmets and all.
However, there's no doubt that some motorists can be tricked by the POLITE vests. On the other hand, if such a close word printed on the back of a vest was not deemed illegal until now, what could stop people who manufacture them from bringing into the market new models reading other similar words, such as PRO-LIFE, PROLINE, PROMISE, or whatever they see fit?
The matter is funny enough, as we said in the beginning, but we'd rather agree that someone, somehow, should have some nasty surprises for the jerks who try to make a profit on the road with these POLITE vests. And having them banned by law isn't maybe the most effective idea...
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