A UK Driver Just Got A Speeding Ticket For 149mph

A driver on the M25, London’s orbital motorway, was clocked at a frankly ridiculous 149mph last year. The figure was revealed after the Institute of Advanced Motorists made a freedom of information request for all speeding tickets issued in the UK between April 2013 and May 2014.

At that speed, the driver would’ve been travelling at two and a half miles a minute, which makes you appreciate just how much ground you’re covering at that speed. IAM also revealed the highest speeds recorded in lower limits, including 96mph in a 30mph zone on Leam Lane, Gateshead, and 119mph on the 50mph A414 in Hertfordshire.

IAM chief executive, Simon Best, said “unfortunately the [speeding is bad] 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.” He continued, saying “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.”

While we would always agree that driving three times over the limit in a built up area is dangerous, the ‘speeding kills’ issue is not as black and white as Best makes out. For a start, it may be true that sentencing for speeding is “out of sync with modern roads [and] modern vehicles,” but so are speed limits.

“We need sustained campaigning by the government, motor industry and charities to keep ramming home the message that excessive speed kills.”

Simon Best

Modern cars are safer than could have ever been perceived when speed limits were first introduced. The video we brought you yesterday proved that increasing speed limits does not result in an increase in accidents, injuries or fatalities, so while we agree with his statement that the government must address the issue of speeding drivers, we can only hope the situation is approached with an open mind.