Been accused of a silly speed?

[AdamW]

An interesting story my bro pointed me at.

I have heard of similar cases to that of the woman in the Astra: I read about a guy who was accused of riding his (unmodified) Triumph motorbike at an estimated speed of 185mph, but in court he produced the manufacturer's literature that specified a top speed of 160-odd. If I recall, they charged him as if he had been doing 150 or so, so was still a ban and hefty fine, but several thousand less than if he had been doing 185!

 

[2scoops0406]

He should have appealed then, as it is obvious that the equipment to read his speed was faulty, therefore it cannot be proved what he speed was, therefore no offence has been committed.

 

[AdamW]

I actually read this story a couple of years ago in that tome of undeniable truth: The Sun

I thought that an estimated speed by a traffic cop was admissable... however I am beginning to doubt the authenticity of that story, despite the quality of the journal in which I read it. Let's say the bike was going 150mph. The police car that stopped it would have been something like a Volvo T5 or BMW M3, so a car capable of keeping up at those speeds. In which case, the driver would be unlikely to estimate the bike speed to be 180+. Now, if the bike HAD been going 180, even at full whack in the T5 you would not have been able to read the numberplate as it went past.

Of course, driving at 150 is pretty stupid in anyone's books! Jay Kay has bragged of regularly driving at 175mph, but then he is a silly girl who has now lost his licence.