142 MPH in Scotland... anyone here?
Discussion
ChrisH79 said:
Is it not possible that the driver kept his foot in a little longer than necessary and found himself way above the limit in a few seconds before lifting?
Yes! I think this is an excellent defence and the "43-year-old man" should heed your advice.The plea in mitigation could be:
"I was driving sedately in my Porsche along the A832 at Achanalt, travelling to a meeting in Inverness where I would be meeting business colleagues Carlos and Eduardo, to discuss district council policy.
" During the journey, I pulled into a nearby layby, so that I could reach into the glove compartment to retrieve a Simpkins strawberry drop. As I continued the drive, after tucking in my tartan travel rug, I suffered a choking fit, and very fortunately the strawberry drop was expelled from my throat onto the floor near my feet.
"Completely accidentally, the strawberry drop rolled forward and seemed to wedge itself under the accelerator pedal.
"After my futile attempts to move or crush the strawberry drop by pressing hard down on the accelerator pedal, I suddenly realised that I had accidentally exceeded the speed limit by some 82mph.
"As far as I am concerned, that is the end of the matter."
Sebring440 said:
Yes! I think this is an excellent defence and the "43-year-old man" should heed your advice.
The plea in mitigation could be:
"I was driving sedately in my Porsche along the A832 at Achanalt, travelling to a meeting in Inverness where I would be meeting business colleagues Carlos and Eduardo, to discuss district council policy.
" During the journey, I pulled into a nearby layby, so that I could reach into the glove compartment to retrieve a Simpkins strawberry drop. As I continued the drive, after tucking in my tartan travel rug, I suffered a choking fit, and very fortunately the strawberry drop was expelled from my throat onto the floor near my feet.
"Completely accidentally, the strawberry drop rolled forward and seemed to wedge itself under the accelerator pedal.
"After my futile attempts to move or crush the strawberry drop by pressing hard down on the accelerator pedal, I suddenly realised that I had accidentally exceeded the speed limit by some 82mph.
"As far as I am concerned, that is the end of the matter."
Sounds reasonable.The plea in mitigation could be:
"I was driving sedately in my Porsche along the A832 at Achanalt, travelling to a meeting in Inverness where I would be meeting business colleagues Carlos and Eduardo, to discuss district council policy.
" During the journey, I pulled into a nearby layby, so that I could reach into the glove compartment to retrieve a Simpkins strawberry drop. As I continued the drive, after tucking in my tartan travel rug, I suffered a choking fit, and very fortunately the strawberry drop was expelled from my throat onto the floor near my feet.
"Completely accidentally, the strawberry drop rolled forward and seemed to wedge itself under the accelerator pedal.
"After my futile attempts to move or crush the strawberry drop by pressing hard down on the accelerator pedal, I suddenly realised that I had accidentally exceeded the speed limit by some 82mph.
"As far as I am concerned, that is the end of the matter."
Snow and Rocks said:
Are those highlighting the fact that it's an A road actually familiar with the particular stretch of road in question?
It's wide open, perfectly sighted with open moorland on each side - I'd argue that it's probably safer to speed there in certain conditions than on most dual carriageways.
As an aside, I got pulled by an unmarked Volvo on this very stretch about 10 years ago. He'd clocked me during an overtake (at long range) doing 92 which resulted in a trip to court in Dingwall and 4 points and a £200 fine.
Probably lucky I was driving an ancient diesel Land Cruiser or my full bore overtake would probably have resulted in a much higher number!
I know the road, and on the times it's been empty may have hit higher speeds on it than the unfortunate Porsche owner. A well developed sense of self preservation would have prevented me from doing so if it had felt inherently unsafe in that location. Too many stories of long range speed enforcement mean those days are over now.It's wide open, perfectly sighted with open moorland on each side - I'd argue that it's probably safer to speed there in certain conditions than on most dual carriageways.
As an aside, I got pulled by an unmarked Volvo on this very stretch about 10 years ago. He'd clocked me during an overtake (at long range) doing 92 which resulted in a trip to court in Dingwall and 4 points and a £200 fine.
Probably lucky I was driving an ancient diesel Land Cruiser or my full bore overtake would probably have resulted in a much higher number!
Heaveho said:
I know the road, and on the times it's been empty may have hit higher speeds on it than the unfortunate Porsche owner. A well developed sense of self preservation would have prevented me from doing so if it had felt inherently unsafe in that location.
I do too, and have run at 3 figures a few times. There are limits, though. Just straightforward logic says at 40% over the ton almost anything unsuspected is going to be a massive issue. At 142mph you're doing 63 metres per second. How good are you at spotting potholes from 100m+ or birds and hares at working out your speed? Oncoming noddies in campers staring at Google maps instead of the road and on and on.
"A well developed sense of self preservation" is useless in isolation.
Looking at the road, it's not the place to be doing 142mph, everyone knows they really don't like speeding in Scotland the NC500 has become popular so it's easy pickings for the Police even if you're just exceeding the limit by a bit, so doing nearly 2.5x the limit is the act of a fool and they deserve a ban.
Let's not forget he'll have had 150mph showing on the speedo and that's best left for the M40.
How many of those describing it as suicidal, or homicidal, or writing “what about cyclists” or “what about side roads” have looked at the picture of the road in the article?
There are stretches with no side roads, and where you could see a pedestrian, cyclist or other road user a long way off.
There are stretches with no side roads, and where you could see a pedestrian, cyclist or other road user a long way off.
Cyclist on the edge of the road fixing a puncture.
Hiker taking a breather.
The list would be quite long.
In the end, the decision to travel at such speeds is then reliant on conditions being perfect, and nobody else making a mistake or doing something out of the ordinary.
One of the reasons I sold the 911 was because I was taking one or two more chances each week or so. Sometimes those decisions kept me awake at night.
My job has relied on me having Security Clearance, and that may be taken away after being found guilty in court, would definitely be taken away if given jail time.
Why can’t people just do track days and be happy?
I know it’s not the same, just as circuit racing isn’t the same as road racing, but surely staying out of prison and alive is more important?
Hiker taking a breather.
The list would be quite long.
In the end, the decision to travel at such speeds is then reliant on conditions being perfect, and nobody else making a mistake or doing something out of the ordinary.
One of the reasons I sold the 911 was because I was taking one or two more chances each week or so. Sometimes those decisions kept me awake at night.
My job has relied on me having Security Clearance, and that may be taken away after being found guilty in court, would definitely be taken away if given jail time.
Why can’t people just do track days and be happy?
I know it’s not the same, just as circuit racing isn’t the same as road racing, but surely staying out of prison and alive is more important?
Heaveho said:
I know the road, and on the times it's been empty may have hit higher speeds on it than the unfortunate Porsche owner. A well developed sense of self preservation would have prevented me from doing so if it had felt inherently unsafe in that location. Too many stories of long range speed enforcement mean those days are over now.
And this is why the sentencing for death by dangerous should mirror manslaughter. And come with a lifetime driving ban. But there should be less minor speed enforcement. Let people make their own decisions but if it goes wrong have adequate consequence rather than the soft sentencing currently applied. Tony1963 said:
Cyclist on the edge of the road fixing a puncture.
Hiker taking a breather.
The list would be quite long.
In the end, the decision to travel at such speeds is then reliant on conditions being perfect, and nobody else making a mistake or doing something out of the ordinary.
One of the reasons I sold the 911 was because I was taking one or two more chances each week or so. Sometimes those decisions kept me awake at night.
My job has relied on me having Security Clearance, and that may be taken away after being found guilty in court, would definitely be taken away if given jail time.
Why can’t people just do track days and be happy?
I know it’s not the same, just as circuit racing isn’t the same as road racing, but surely staying out of prison and alive is more important?
Again, you can see those things. Hiker taking a breather.
The list would be quite long.
In the end, the decision to travel at such speeds is then reliant on conditions being perfect, and nobody else making a mistake or doing something out of the ordinary.
One of the reasons I sold the 911 was because I was taking one or two more chances each week or so. Sometimes those decisions kept me awake at night.
My job has relied on me having Security Clearance, and that may be taken away after being found guilty in court, would definitely be taken away if given jail time.
Why can’t people just do track days and be happy?
I know it’s not the same, just as circuit racing isn’t the same as road racing, but surely staying out of prison and alive is more important?
Snow and Rocks said:
Are those highlighting the fact that it's an A road actually familiar with the particular stretch of road in question?
It's wide open, perfectly sighted with open moorland on each side - I'd argue that it's probably safer to speed there in certain conditions than on most dual carriageways.
As an aside, I got pulled by an unmarked Volvo on this very stretch about 10 years ago. He'd clocked me during an overtake (at long range) doing 92 which resulted in a trip to court in Dingwall and 4 points and a £200 fine.
Probably lucky I was driving an ancient diesel Land Cruiser or my full bore overtake would probably have resulted in a much higher number!
I was told this morning he was originally clocked at 112mph, then got nobbled for the higher speed when they set off after him.It's wide open, perfectly sighted with open moorland on each side - I'd argue that it's probably safer to speed there in certain conditions than on most dual carriageways.
As an aside, I got pulled by an unmarked Volvo on this very stretch about 10 years ago. He'd clocked me during an overtake (at long range) doing 92 which resulted in a trip to court in Dingwall and 4 points and a £200 fine.
Probably lucky I was driving an ancient diesel Land Cruiser or my full bore overtake would probably have resulted in a much higher number!
There are indeed massive wide open stretches on this road.
It's like shooting fish in a barrel. The police often sit in the layby this time of year.
Reminds me of my old school friend setting an unwanted record;
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/sep/24/ukcrime...
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/sep/24/ukcrime...
Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff