Another motorist caught doing 96mph in a 30 zone by a speed camera, according to police data.
Most of us are probably guilty of going over the speed limit from time to time, but perhaps not to the extent of the offenders that made their way into police figures obtained via a Freedom of Information request and published by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).
The highest speed clocked by a speed camera was 149mph, according to the data from 39 local authorities. The event took place between April 2013 and May 2014 on the M25 at Swanley in the Sevenoaks district of Kent.
Police data also showed an unnamed motorist was caught doing 96mph in a 30mph zone on the B1288 on Leam Lane in Gateshead. Another record comes in the form of 119mph clocked in a 50mph zone on the A414 Stanstead Abbots in Hertfordshire.
One naughty speeder hit 127mph in a 60mph zone on the A413 Wendover By-Pass in Wendover, Buckinghamshire.
IAM chief exective Simon Best commented: “149 miles per hour equates to nearly two and a half miles in a minute. If anything goes wrong at that speed, you’re unlikely to walk away and you are a grave danger to the innocent road users around you.
“Speed limits are a limit. They are not a target to beat. Unfortunately this message has not got through to many motorists and it’s clear that efforts to make speeding as socially unacceptable as drink driving continue to fail.
“That’s why we need sustained campaigning by the government, motor industry and charities to keep ramming home the message that excessive speed kills. Catching speeders at two or even three times the limit also shows the importance of keeping speed cameras at well-known black spots.”
IAM pointed out sentencing guidelines. Being caught between 101 and 110mph in a 70mph, for instance, would land you a fine, 6 points of disqualification for between a seven and 56 days. The same applies to being caught in a 50mph at between 76 and 85mph and in a 30mph at between 51 and 60mph.
If you think the 96mph in a 30mph is particularly crazy, a Porsche 911 was caught at 111.74mph on the 30mph Menai bridge part of the A5 in North Wales. Speeder 24-year-old Sean O-Grady denies the charges.
A popular wives tale claims an enforcement camera is unable to catch you beyond a certain speed. Top Gear test worked this out as 197mph ─ and cameras have improved in the years since.
Basically, you are better off abiding the law and taking your high-powered motor to the track. Unless, of course, you want to cycle everywhere.
Leave a Reply