SNAPPED: M25 driver caught at 149mph
A motorist has been snapped driving at 149mph by a speed camera on the M25 in Swanley, it has been revealed.
The offence – the highest speed clocked by a camera in England and Wales between April 2013 and May 2014 – was unearthed following a freedom of information request by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).
Of 39 police authorities asked to provide information by the IAM, 85% responded.
Another driver was caught doing a staggering 96mph in a 30mph stretch of the B1288, Gateshead, while another motorist was snapped at 119mph on the 50mph A414, Hertfordshire.
Also shockingly, one driver was caught driving at 127mph on the 60mph A413 Wendover By-Pass.
Simon Best, Chief Executive of the IAM, said: “149mph 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.”
Currently, magistrates are guided to punish those that drive between 101 and 110mph on a 70mph road with a fine and six points or a 7-56-day driving ban.
If a motorist is caught driving between 76 and 85mph on a 50mph road, or between 51 and 60mph on a 30mph road, they run the risk of the same sanction.
“The current guidelines on sentencing for excessive speeding offences are out of sync with modern roads, modern vehicles and society’s view of the value of lives lost in crashes,” added Mr Best.
“We all share the roads with these speeding drivers and the government must crack down on them with more consistent penalties and tougher measures to break their addiction for speed.”
Eugene Haines
( Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 17:20 )
I can clearly empathise with Mike T points and very thankful for having survived the times I was driving slowly with my mind everywhere bar on the road. These days I am at my wits end keeping any eye on unrealistic signage.
David Jackson
( Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 15:22 )
All cars should be limited to 80 miles a hour and this would stop all these mindless idiots on our highways.
mike t
( Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 15:02 )
Ho Ho
What government would inist on enforcing auto speed control?
The authorities would lose all the income from fines and when the accident rate went up (which it would due to driver inattention) it would disprove once and for all the sad myth that speed kills.
Idiots kill, fast or slow. end of.
Every day I safely overtake people on clear A roads, maybe a few mph over the posted limit, but then in the next 30 zone, I’m doing 30/32 and they zoom up behind lights flashing at 40mph. Come the 60 limit I clear off and they just carry on at 40.
These cretins doing 40 in a 60 (or 30 in 40 etc etc), with good clear conditions, causing a queue who then won’t overtake, all of them breaking the highway code by either not leaving a gap for overtakers to pull in, or if you’re the one at the front, causing an obstruction by not pulling over.
Speed limits are at best arbitrary best-guess one size fits all figures, so it’s good that you can still treat the daftest ones with the comtempt they deserve.
Just do so at your own risk… long live overtaking!
Richard
( Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 14:16 )
Fit governors to cars controlled by computers to the speed limits end of story – and in answer to the idiots who say they need to be able to accelerate to get out of trouble, they can go 10 mph less than the speed limit and the problem they have is solved. If you are overtaking at 70mph a vehicle in the middle lane it takes some time and you should NEVER be caught up by any other car – unless of course they are SPEEDING!!.
ian banks
( Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 11:20 )
With the emphasis on speed kills, the one thing the Dept of transport don’t publish is that most accidents happen WITHIN the speed limit. It is people driving too fast for the conditions ..legally..but stupidly! Driving at 90+ on an open motorway in good conditions is hardly dangerous.In fact, as everyone has conveniently forgotten, the 70mph limit was never bought in as a safety issue, it was brought in to save fuel ! Yet, in inverse proportion to the authorities continually reigning in speed limits on perfectly good roads, every manufacturer is making faster and faster hatch backs, do they know something the authorities don’t….? Is it sparking off a desire for thrills in the greyness local authorities cast over everything….
Jem Gardener
( Tuesday, June 10, 2014 - 13:21 )
Nicholas Cornwell. I think you mean me not John Howard. No offence intended; I was aiming to lighten it up. The smiley face was a clue.
Anyway, what about the points that I raised (and others too)??
Nicholas Cornwell
( Friday, June 6, 2014 - 15:11 )
John Howerd. Very petty to pull up an adult on their spelling! Have you ever heard of dyslexia? It’s an issue that affects reading and spelling and is a recognised complaint. You would be better off keeping playground comments to yourself and just agreeing or disagreeing with the guys point.
Or simply just auto-correct!!!
John Howard
( Friday, June 6, 2014 - 06:50 )
“Well said” Dave.
Am with you 100%.
Don’t worry about the incorrect spelling re: there (their) and break (brake).
What you said is the important thing.
Paolo
( Thursday, June 5, 2014 - 23:26 )
Michael with a V8 toy!! When did we allow children to post on this forum? We all have our silly moments. We are talking here about silly moments that can kill innocent people not only risking your own life. If you must have extravagant fantasies of speed and machines take it where I do. To the race track
Michael with a V8 toy
( Thursday, June 5, 2014 - 14:37 )
Could the police also publish the make & model of cars that achieved these speeds, whether using standard unleaded or ‘ultimate’, what sort of tyres and whether modified or not? And perhaps where we can buy them? Er no I meant and perhaps whether the Police target certain types of car more when using those dratted mobile cameras? ie was I wise to buy a standard looking coupe which has had a tuned V8 dropped in (with race brakes and race designed suspension all round) or could I do just as well with a jag XK8?
Sarah
( Thursday, June 5, 2014 - 14:20 )
What the speed merchants do not understand is that not only are they driving to the limits of their car, but above all the road on which it travels. All of our roads come from days when the mode of transport was very slow, and the sightlines, bends, curves and undulations are all based on this. Coupled with wear, grit, oil etc this makes the road unpredictable at these speeds. At 149 mph a slow bend becomes a blind bend. If you want to test your nerve you might as well hurtle at full pelt against a brick wall. Then you can assess your car, your brakes and above all your nerve. If you really need to. Or just get a life. Literally.
JG
( Thursday, June 5, 2014 - 13:53 )
Dave Lee also needs to go on a speed awareness course. Whilst it’s true that we should always focus on driving quality as well as speed it’s not an either/or. I have to say that the speed awareness course I went on was a real eye-opener and frankly undermined most of the (Top Gearish) opinions Dave expresses. Apart from anything else one reason even the best speeding driver needs not to speed is because of the unpredictability of other (less skilled) road users. Oh and a spelling awareness course might be helpful too Dave 🙂
GK
( Thursday, June 5, 2014 - 10:58 )
96 mph in a 30 mph, is a bit of a half truth. Anybody who knows that part of Gateshead knows that it used to be 70mph on the flyover until some idiot decided it would be a good cash cow to unaware drivers and change it to 30mph
Jay
( Thursday, June 5, 2014 - 10:58 )
SLOW! Speed Up
Rodney Symonds
( Thursday, June 5, 2014 - 10:54 )
Dave Lee needs watching and prosecuting. I live on a A road with a 60mph national speed limit. The authorities do nothing to control the 100mph hooligans who terrorize the local community. I am seriously thinking of volunteering to man an “Arrive Alive” camera van. I would only allow speed limit plus 10%. Above that you are booked. Greater than 25% above – driving license rescinded. Everybody needs to remember – a human being, a horse or cow are exactly the same now in terms of speed of movement and vulnerability if they are hit, as they have always been. The arrogant hooligan in his modern car will survive the crash, 100 times better than he would have done 110 years ago. They are totally selfish, thoughtless and live by “foot in face” principles towards their fellow human beings and their animals.
dave lee
( Thursday, May 29, 2014 - 20:02 )
absolute rubbish, the standard of driving is the problem, not looking where your going
as spending too much time watching the speedo. i have driven for 30yrs without hitting anyone, but i never look at my speedo unless i see a police car. speed cameras cause accidents, everyone slams there foot on the break when they see a van at the side of the road now. its idiots that cause accidents, speed or no speed. the 70mph limit on motorways is out of date with modern cars, it should be 90 then cars would watch there mirrors or get out the OVERTAKING lane, instead of sitting there for no reason.