I'm from UK but have lived in USA for the past 20 years. Whenever I go back to UK I put a PostIt note on the dash that reads "Drive on the LEFT." This is necessary because sometimes I get into "autopilot" and forget, especially when leaving parking lots.
I visited the UK before the pandemic, and the only time it really affected me was on left turns. nearly every left turn, I would have a reflexive "we're on the wrong side" moment. (I didn't drive while there, and I probably won't if we go back, because of that reflex)
And left turns are the easy ones. Right turns take more awareness. Pedestrians should look to the right first when crossing the road, not the left. All sorts of little things we take for granted would be reversed.
There's no way I could do it. Besides, ima dog. Actually, my owner is semi-professional and he says nope. (Yeah, its such an ingrained, automatic set of skills, I just seriously doubt I could do it, at least not for an extended period of time. -E and yeah, I'd probably go to the wrong side getting into the car. 😄)
We have a lot of tourists in my area, and it was, unfortunately, quite common for them to emerge onto major roads on the "wrong" side, sometimes fatally. We now have a lot of large signs in the busiest areas telling folk to drive on the left, and it seems to have had the desired effect.
162 mph equates to 260.7 kph. Years ago while stationed in Germany; I was driving the Autobahn, I was driving 100 mph/160 kph and had a Mercedes pass me like I was sitting still. I thought I was going fast.
that's why the right lane is the driving lane. I was overtaking at 180. checked behind me to pass and by the time I did a Porsche was on my tail with high beams. Also passed like i was standing still.
I got caught in Maryland back in the mid 80's doing over a 100mph in a 55mph zone. I actually stopped and waited on the trooper to come get me. After he asked me where I was going in such a rush. I told him that I was going up to my Dad's house to help on the farm. He gave me a ticket for 74 in a 55 and $45.00 fine with 1 point. I wanted to give him a hug. He was laughing at me and told me to slow down a little. I never did that again.
In 1984 I was ticketed for 105 in a 55 zone, no radar, paced by an unmarked state police car. He just ticketed me for speeding, no reckless or any other charge. Cost me $200 + $1/mph over the limit and the cost of a lawyer. No suspension or other penalty. Oh, and the trooper thanked me for pulling over.
My father was born and raised in Geneva New York (Steve's been there.) in the 20's and 30's. He told me a story of the moonshiners and other law breakers that frequently outran the average police car. The city got tired of this and bought a 1935 Hudson Taraplane capable of doing 100 MPH. After the police ran down a few moonshiners and put them in jail, the rest of them chose new routes around Geneva.
Years ago I was in Montreal doing 75 kph i a 60 kph zone. I got pulled over and the cop told me that if i was unable to keep up with traffic to park the thing. I tossed him a salute and took off and was ding 90 kph to keep up. What a town!
In Steve’s anecdote the biker could have said I was riding along obeying the law and a bunch of guys blew past me , I pulled over to let the cop past but he booked me! This of course depends on a lot of things to get away with but it has actually occurred numerous times that an innocent motorist gets nabbed for others speeding.
*All the time. The radar gun doesn't distinguish which vehicle it tags as speeding; the police officer has to determine which one is being detected as going fast. In situations with heavy traffic, the chances of misidentifying the wrong car are about 50/50. Keep in mind that the officer is monitoring an LED screen on the radar gun and then must quickly look up to visually identify the speeding vehicle.*
@@radicalrick9587 Which is why in most U.S. jurisdictions they are not to use the radar while driving. Cops are weird, but I don't know of any who are weird enough that they can put one eye on the radar readout, one eye on the traffic he is clocking, and one eye on safely operating his cruiser.
I had a cop pull me over, when i was going UNDER the speed limit, because his radar picked up a speeder. Yeah, the guy in the middle lane who just blew past me DEFINITELY breaking the speed limit. I finally had to say "You saw me in the turn lane, blinker on, and you think i was going to make that turn going 55mps (the speed limit was 45)? He finally got the clue that i wasn't the one he wanted, but by then the other guy was long gone. Let me off with a warning. So while i didn't get a ticket, i did get a warning, for not breaking the speed limit. O-o gotta wonder about the logic on that one.
@@radicalrick9587 I once got a speeding ticket in a small town and tried to use the location of the officer to argue my case to the magistrate. The cop was parked really far into the woods so you couldn't see he was there until about 10 feet away. I pulled out a trig calculation to show the number he "estimated" me going could not match the radar based on the angle. I don't think it was persuasive but the cop said the trees don't matter because the radar sees through the trees. So i asked him how his radar gun worked and he said he doesn't need to point the radar at anything because it will automatically track the largest moving object in range and he could see how fast i was going very far away when i came over a certain hill. So i said "so your radar tracks the largest moving object in range?" --- "yes" --- "I drive a 2 door coupe and i was driving behind a big red minivan. So wouldn't that mean that you were tracking the minivan?" The LOOK on his face. His eyes popped out at me then he side eyed over at the judge who was grinning at the cop. The cop then started stammering a bit then went on about some story about how the radar cycles through targets. The judge just stopped him right away and didn't let him say anything else. He was like well i think we can change it to a warning if you're OK with that officer X. They agreed and sent me off. As i left the office i was closing the door and could still hear for a moment the judge was still grinning at the cop. I think just as i closed the door i heard him say something like "you really stepped in shit there."
For those wondering how someone can do that speed during rush-hour, many a time one direction will be bumper-to-bumper while the other carriageway can be totally clear.
Rush-hour exists because the majority of people can't afford to live where they work, so they commute. The fact that the guy was driving a Porsche suggests he's part of the minority that never has to ride with the majority.
Or you have a fast car and bob and weave thru traffic. Even in bumper-to-bumper traffic, you will empty lanes right after choke points. Just watch a chase in LA.
A friend's daughter, adopted from China, was on her way back to college after Thanksgiving. Near her college the PA State Police set up a speed trap figuring they'd catch some college students. The 2 lane highway goes from 55 to 25 very suddenly. The speed limit sign is covered by a large pine tree, so it's easy to miss. She knew to slow down, as she was coming into town, but didn't know it was a 25 MPH zone. They caught my friend's daughter doing 35 in a 25 zone. My friend's daughter is a very polite, petite, wisp of a child who really respects authority. She complied with everything the cop asked of her. So the cop gave her multiple tickets, including reckless driving. She was just going to pay the tickets when her father discovered that if she paid them, she'd go to jail. It was a serious crime she was charged with. Clearly the cop took advantage of her. They hired an attorney and when they went to the hearing, the cop immediately caved when he saw the lawyer and her parents. He asked the magistrate to just charge her with 10 over. She paid a $200 fine. If her father hadn't looked out for her, she'd be in jail today. Land of the free? Home of the brave?
It should of all been dismisses because the speed limit sign was hidden. The cops were fully aware of this and set up there because of it. If they did that to me it would cost them money. I would demand the ticket be dropped and then I would take a chainsaw and remove their speed trap.
*They didn't have a good lawyer because all they had to do was take a picture of the speed sign being covered by the pine tree (this makes it the city's fault) and the case would have been dismissed. Shame the lawyer didn't know this simple fact.*
@@jasonbourne1596 *I agree, but this person pointed out that a lawyer was hired. So, I pointed out the lawyer's lack of insight in being able to get the case thrown out.*
Speaking on driving on the other side of the road being disconcerting, there was an incident not that long ago where someone working for the U.S embassy killed a young man because she forgot which side of the road she was supposed to be on. She got off on diplomatic immunity, ran off back to the U.S and was never punished.
She actually went back but I didn’t hear what punishment she faced. His parents wanted her charged with murder. She had stopped and tried to render aid but he died at the scene of the crash. They wanted a stiffer punishment because she was American. She was supposed to have been under the influence of alcohol but there was no evidence of that. The young man was drunk, his BAC was over the limit for him to drive, so he was walking home when he was hit. Apparently, he wandered off the sidewalk into the road and got hit. If she had been in the US, she would have faced no consequences because she passed a breathalyzer test. She was on the wrong side of the road, true, but there was no traffic and it was dark and she had her lights on. She drove the rest of the way home on the correct side of the road. If she’d been British, she would have been on the correct side of the road but it probably wouldn’t have made a difference. If she’d been British she also wouldn’t have faced any consequences, nor would there have been a call for her to.
@@richardbeckenbaugh1805 >She actually went back No she did not - she invoked a very dubious claim of diplomatic immunity which the USA refused to waive on very specious grounds.
> but I didn’t hear what punishment she faced. Convicted of causing death by careless driving, sentenced to 8 months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and disqualified from driving for 12. All a bit academic since she never returned to the UK.
> His parents wanted her charged with murder. No they didn’t.
> They wanted a stiffer punishment because she was American. No they didn’t.
> She was supposed to have been under the influence of > alcohol but there was no evidence of that. Where does “supposed to” come from? She was breathalysed at the scene, as is standard practice, done whether the person is showing any signs of intoxication or not, and found not to be over the limit.
> The young man was drunk, No he wasn’t.
> his BAC was over the limit for him to drive, No it wasn’t.
> so he was walking home when he was hit. No he wasn’t, he was riding a motorcycle.
> Apparently, he wandered off the sidewalk into the road and got hit. No he didn’t. Where did you get all this rubbish from?
> If she had been in the US, she would have faced no > consequences because she passed a breathalyzer test. Really? In the US you can drive on the wrong side of the road and kill someone in a head-on collision and face no consequences if you’re sober? *Anybody with knowledge of US traffic laws like to comment?*
> She was on the wrong side of the road, true, but there > was no traffic and it was dark and she had her lights on. There was traffic - she collided with it and took a life. Stop trying to make out that driving on the wrong side of the road is OK if there’s no traffic, and you’ve got your lights on if it’s dark.
> She drove the rest of the way home on the correct side of the road. Bully for her. Bit late though, really.
> If she’d been British, she would have been on the > correct side of the road but it probably wouldn’t > have made a difference. I can assure you that if she’d been on the correct side she would not have had a head-on collision with someone coming the other way, so yes, being on the correct side would have made a big difference.
> If she’d been British she also wouldn’t have faced any > consequences, nor would there have been a call for her to. Utter nonsense - egregious even by your abysmally low standards. If she’d been British and had killed someone because she was driving on the wrong side of the road you bet she would face consequences.
Steve, tell your carpenter friend that "stage flats" don't use feet that hang out the front. They rely on weights placed on the back feet to prevent the backgrounds from tipping forward. Have him chop off the front feet so you can slide the bookcases together.
I lived in England in 1964. They had one Motorway (freeway) and it had no speed limit. Seeing opportunity, they tested Shebly AC Cobras early in the morning at speeds of more than 200 MPH. As the Brits say, "Pressures were brought to bear" and the practice stopped. We loved the quote from the Bedfordshire Chief Constable, "Speeds of 180 MPH on the public highway could be dangerous."
Corby by-pass (A43) is a dual carriageway so the speed limit is 70 BUT there are some bits with 40mph limit. 30mph over the limit is apparently often referred to by Police as "walkies" because if you do that you will get a driving ban for a period.
Steve you are a dam good man and we really need more like you in America I was dam near killed by a Young cop in Cincy but never got a lawyer and so sad i never did listing to your law
About the Virginia reckless driving anecdote: in VA anything over 80 is considered reckless no matter the speed limit. So 80 in a 70 on a rural interstate is just as "reckless" as 80 in a 55 in the middle of a town.
😂! I found THAT out one night, driving a rental Trans Am from VA Beach to Norfolk (after a day partying on the beach😊). We wanted to know what it would do... I could only get 95 out of it. There was NO traffic, straight four lane highway. I let it coast down, a guy in the back asked if I thought that cop (what cop?😊) got me on radar... Yeah, he caught me doing 85... Kids, don't go to the Norfolk jail @ 2:30 in the morning!
@@jasonbourne1596 that was (holy shit!) 40 years ago, I thought then I'd never go back, but did pass through Norfolk about 6 months later. I layer low that time, and never been back since!
Thank you for pronouncing Porsche correctly. My father had a couple of them back in the 80's, and I learned to drive a manual transmission in his 944. They are very fun cars to strive.
6 month suspension/£1000 fine is the maximum for speeding in England. They could have opted to charge him with careless or dangerous driving, which would have given the court the option of much more severe sentences - for 162mph I'm surprised they didn't. Incidentally we don't use radar guns any more in the UK - he was detected by a laser speed meter operating out of the back of a static van.
Folks in US cities are doing the "wilding" thing, speeding down the urban highways doing 40 to 60 mph above the speed limit, weaving in and out of traffic, going down the shoulders when necessary. It's the stuff of which manslaughter charges are made. Speeding on an empty road? That's one thing. Speeding where you are every second putting lives at serious risk? That's another. As for the motorcycles being crazy, a friend who's a sheriff's deputy says when he sees a motorcycle zip by at 110mph, he doesn't even try to chase 'em. "The only way I can catch a motorcycle that decides to flee is if they crash". And since there's about a 50/50 chance the motorcycle will flee, what's the point? Is it worth killing an 18yo to stop him speeding? Is it worth sending him to 150mph straight into the side of a van with a family inside? So he just watches 'em go by.
That kind of speed practically defines recklessness. You knew or should have known that it was likely to lead to injury or death. There is no way a human driver can react adequately when a rear bumper approaches them at 162 mph, in the case of a stationary vehicle, or even at 90 mph, in the case of a vehicle moving in the same direction at 72 mph. We don't have that kind of reflexive ability to avoid the collision, and probably neither does the speeding vehicle (even a Porsche). And roads are not empty at rush hour, certainly not in England.
@@glynnetolar4423 They do indeed do this. This is the normal procedure in most places. Pretty universally, even where it isn't strictly against the rules to chase the motorcyclist, it is strongly encouraged that you don't. Because there is no safe way to stop the chase if they're determined to get away. Any option risks life or heavy injury to both the cop, the motorcyclist, and the public. So what you do is exactly this: you make a record, and catch them when they're home.
The pronunciation lesson reminds me of the joke about the blond who was hired by a rich person for cheap to paint his porch. The blond later reported in that the paint job was done. When the rich person questioned how fast the job got done, the blond merely said "it wasn't that big, and it was a mercedes, not a porch." ^-^
I just drove from S. Carolina to Texas pulling a Uhaul trailer. I saw lots of really aggressive drivers. Plus, in almost every big town I'd see souped up cars racing down the interstate, doing circles in parking lots and streets, etc. It was the worst I've seen.
Just a friendly FYI from London In UK there are no official "plea deals"; In this case he was convicted for exceeding 70MPH, its very likely that was the speed limit on that road. The points system here is very similar to that in US. Miles are still used in UK.
Yeah I been there done that a couple times myself. Stopping right away does seem to help and the situation has gone better then what expected. Told the officer I was doing 75 in a 70 and he said try again ! I couldn't tell my speed meter doesn't read that high so he took his flashlight to look at it and said the needle is broken off ! Yeah i know that's why I can tell you what I was doing but cruising along. Take a guess then 80 ? Try again ! I really don't want to because of the trouble you might want to put me through. But I was trying a shake down on the car because I just got it back running do you want to see how I did by looking at it right now? Then I pop the hood latch. We open open the hood and he was impressed by the work. Made it look stock and everything as close as possible by the engine compartment was all motor and took him i just put a cam and carburetor in the motor and duel exhaust and sounds real good now. THAT AIN'T A STOCK 305 ! YEAH JUST A BIG BROTHER ! So I fired up the motor and cracked the carb and the sound was mean and he said that aint stock but I like it too; so why did you stop then ? I rather deal with you only here instead of down the road where you can have 15 of your " friends" waiting for me. Yeah I told them that you was stopping for me. See out of respect for your position and job. So how fast was i going? 142 .
Story from my dad and grandfather, in the late 50' s they were at a dinner when they were returning from Bonneville. Some guy in a lakester (car set up for the salt flats) went by the diner at over 180 mph and shifted. A minute or two later, several cops went by with lights and sirens. They caught the guy a few miles down the road when he ran out of gas, was drunk btw. They heard the details later from the cops.
Hey Steve, thanks for the video:) Just wanted to let you know that I believe 70mph is the national speed limit in England, according to some British RUclipsrs I've watched (Alex Kersten, formerly on CarThrottle) perhaps that's what they meant when they said 162mph was more than double the speed limit (70mph national speed limit)
70mph is the default speed limit on dual carriageways (i.e. with a median or central reservation as we call it here) and it's 60mph on single carriageways.
The only break I ever got on speeding was when I was pulled over for 135 on my motorcylce in a 55. Had a good talk with the cop and he made it 75, max allowed before arresting me... with a threat that if he heard about me getting popped again he would make sure no break was given. This was long, long ago.
1976, I was street racing on Van Nuys Blvd, got popped for doing 115. LAPD wrote me up for "47 in a 35" because I was polite and didn't bullshit them (a $20 ticket). 50 in a 35 would have been exhibition of speed and engaging in a speed contest, both $125.50.
OK Steve, if you use the speed with mph then you must reflect the fine in USD, or, if you use pounds for currency thern you must use kilometers for speed. It’s a rule somewhere, Michigan state law or something.
the UK uses MPH as well,..., they are only partially metric and use it for things like temperature and even use really arcane measurements like stones for weight...
ALWAYS stop and wait for the officer - even if the lights aren't on yet. I got stopped once in my 1978 Street Kitcar doing 125+. Pittsfield cop wrote me up for 60 in a 55 because "you have me so outclassed you could have lost me. Thank you for stopping." My favorite car story from back in the day. Well, not really - I was going for the top end on my retired 82 crown vic police car (MPH classified, speedo did go to 200). I stopped and waited. Took the trooper 10 minutes to catch up to me. Got a ticket for changing lanes without signaling.
In the UK normally going over 100 mph is automatically a year's ban from driving and fine and normally at this speed (162mph) you have to retake your driving test again. From photos from the police van it looks like the police van was on the other side of the carriageway so they could only get one photo of this person at this speed add in location, calibration and other issues with catching the driver a lot of things could be argued in court so they just did a plea deal. The road itself looks like 70 mph but due to the junction layout, it could be as low as 50 mph. It also looks like the police either wrote to the person a letter or turned up on the doorstep a day or so later to ask about the speed.
In England here. From a glance at a map, the speed limit on that road will be 70mph (dual carriageway national speed limit). As for how speeding is usually handled, below a certain threshold it will be an out of court disposal. If you haven’t had one recently, the out of court disposal might be going on a driver safety course (you pay the course fee); otherwise it will be a fixed penalty of £100 and 3 points. If you want to contest the ticket or if the points would take you to 12 (which is when the court has to decide whether or not to revoke your licence), it has to go to court. Beyond the threshold, it has to go to court. In court the maximum penalty is a fine, court/prosecution costs and either 3-6 points or a 7-56 day disqualification; the maximum fine is either £2500 (on a motorway only) or £1000 (on any other road). If points take you to the 12 point limit, a separate ‘totting up’ disqualification applies, which has no maximum length and a minimum of 6, 12, or 24 months depending on previous disqualifications. There is no threshold where speeding automatically becomes dangerous driving or driving without due care and attention (careless driving). Speed can be a factor for ‘inconsiderate driving’ but that isn’t an offence on its own - causing death by inconsiderate driving and causing serious injury by inconsiderate driving are offences. Prosecutors and defendants can’t cut deals here like in the same way as in the States, as sentencing is at the sole discretion of the judge (subject to the statutory sentencing guidelines). There’s normally a one third reduction for early guilty pleas, but that only applies to custodial sentences. My guess is this guy was clocked by an automatic speed camera or a static police unit with a radar gun, and sent a summons by post. If he was pulled over by a dedicated traffic unit, it is more likely he would have been observed driving dangerously/carelessly and prosecuted for that. It’s not clear whether he got any reduction for the early guilty plea (it’s usual for reporters to print the total fine including costs), he may have had the maximum £1000 fine reduced by the costs to give a £1000 total.
I got pulled over doing 140 on my motorcycle; and my MC license was expired. I explained to the cop that I didn't see him and that I was not running from him. He said he was on his way to an accident and didn't have time to deal with me and to get my MC license renewed. And to not come down his stretch of the tollway (Dallas Texas) like that again.
Just so people know because I see the same comment over & over. The UK is officially part of the metric system however it's common for people to still conversate or in this case report using the empirical system. If you watch any auto review videos out of the UK that are meant for a UK audience they will still give range numbers for example in miles. I also used to live in Germany & I would get a lot of TV out of the UK and they would go in between the two systems of measurements all the time. Actually the same thing would happen with the use of the word soccer & football.
Normally it's points on the license and a fine for breaking the speed limit, over 100mph is an instant ban in the UK. If someone gets that sort of punishment the points stay on the license for three years and can significantly increase the cost of insurance for four years, most of the drivers in the UK will go about 10% over and the police tend to ignore that.
Several years ago in the wee hours of the morning, a biker drove up I-205 in Portland Oregon at 142MPH recording the whole thing with his GoPro. He then posted it to social media. Someone noticed it and reported it to the police who decided to give him a visit. When he answered the door they asked him if he was the biker in the video. He admitted it and said, "Wasn't that just awesome?"
Funny you should mention Virginia...I got a ticket there once on Rte 66, late for work and all, and because I was "forthright and honest and didn't try effin me around" said the cop (and maybe also due to my paler skin tone) he wrote me for 14 miles over the speed limit "so you won't get a Reckless Driving charge added"...basically the same story you had with your buddy, except the cop made the call right there at the road...I was only doing 95 in a 55, so a mere 40 over speed limit lol...so I can tell you that in VA, 30 years ago, 15 mph over the speed limit was Reckless Driving 😆😅
Back in the nineties, I was a Marine recruiter in Virginia with my family in N.C. I drove or rode home when I could and once got a ticket exceeding 115 in a 55. I ended up with a lawyer and spent some money, a fair amount not sure, and had ugly marks on my license for some years. The highway patrol officer was quite reasonable, all told. I was happy to pay the fine and lawyer.
Problem with today's legal system is when you 'man up', they treat you like red meat when the reality may be quite different. This leads to insane charges which are all dismissed because of expensive lawyers which not all are able to afford.
The national speed limit is 70 mph (112 km/h) on motorways, 70 mph (112 km/h) on dual carriageways, 60 mph (96 km/h) on single carriageways and generally 30 mph (48 km/h) (20 mph (32 km/h) in Wales) in areas with street lighting (Built-up area). These limits may be changed by road signs and apply to cars, motorcycles, car-derived vans up to 2 tonnes maximum laden weight (MLW), and to motorhomes or motor caravans not more than 3 long tons (3.05 tonnes) maximum unladen weight. Other classes of vehicles are subject to lower limits on some roads.[1]
I was a passenger in a Prius when we were pulled over doing 118 on the freeway near Novi in the wee hours. No ticket!!!! I bet that's a record in a Prius lol.....
I've never driven in the UK, but I did drive in Ireland, which also uses the left side of the road. I really didn't find it all that odd, since you're also on the opposite side of the car from the US standard, so the driver is still on the side of the car closest to opposing traffic, has to be particularly cautious about turns to his own direction, etc. I picked up a rental car at an airport (not where I flew into Ireland, as it happened), and by the time I was off airport grounds it felt pretty normal. I used to tell people that it was helpful to me that I'd practiced driving on the left at home for a couple weeks ahead of time, but I only said that for humor's sake, and it probably works better in person.
Within America, if you are a CDL holder, at 26 mph over the speed limit, it becomes an attempted vehicular homicide automatically under the FMCSA of 1986. It also becomes reckless driving at a lower speed than 25 mph for CDL holders. I can't remember the speed under the 49 CFR, which covers the FMCSA.
Hey Steve, love your content watch you all the time. Just curious to know if you know or have ever met news reporter Rob Wolchek? If so that would be cool. Two Michigan legends right there! Thnx, keep up the great work!
Brit here! The A43 Corby Bypass is a dual carriageway road with a National Speed Limit, which for dual carriageway is 70mph (for cars). Likelihood is a Dangerous Driving charge which, as in a Michigan Reckless charge, can include jail time. What worries me is the driver’s age, and likely slower reactions than, say a 30yo.
I just drove from Arkansas to Idaho and back, noting that there aren't near as many speeders in the West as there are in the East. I frequent the Carolinas, too
A friend of mine was clocked at 135 m.p.h. on the Kansas Turnpike (a section of I-35/I-70 between Wichita and ends west of Kansas City, KS), I don't remember how much his fine was, as it was a LONG time ago (he was driving a 1976 Dodge Charger special edition with a replacement engine that was a Plymouth 451 Hemi). When KHP caught him, it was because they had barricaded the turnpike exit east of KC with road construction equipment. The first trooper to reach the car told him "I oughta pull you out of there and kick your a**. Damn, I had driving fast! I don't remember whether or not Max got his license suspended or not. If it was suspended, he ignored it. I don't think I ever heard how much his fine was. According to Max, he was actually going faster than 135 in the ensuing pursuit, but they didn't have evidence to support a higher speed than the 135. Max passed away at 32 from malignant melanoma, about 10-12 years after the incident.
You pretty much never get even close to the max penalties for stuff like this unless there is a boat load of other charges with the felony speeding or you have a history of similar or worse behavior. Got pulled over doing 135 once and didn't even get a ticket.
He definitely got off easy. I've seen dashcam videos and read stories about UK driving and some speeding infractions got fines, points, suspensions and jail.
Being the UK I’m wondering if this was a speed camera (they love those out there). I’m also wondering that it makes no sense to be able to drive that fast IN rush hour traffic so maybe he was on a clear road DURING rush hour times but not in traffic (they’re also silly that way over there).
UK national speed limits are 70 (divided highways M and A routes), 60 (country B roads), 30 (towns), 20 (school zones). There are no variations like in the US cities (no 35, 45, 55, or the like).
BTW, Steves friend with the motorcycle ticket, its really something that the officer could pin the speeding on THAT motorcyclist who had pulled over. Would have been rather easy to suggest the police officer saw "a group of motorcycles" speeding but not exactly which one was traveling at the speed on the radar gun. I'd have asked for a dismissal if push came to shove simply because he wouldn't have been able to answer the question, which motorcycle was traveling at the speed on the radar gun.
IN/OUT is privately owned, they manufacture all of their own products buns meat grinding, to control quantity, so they're doing just fine, originally started out of Orange County, had a little catastrophe when many family members died in a private plane crash, they survived that... They also pay very well, they're store managers make a really good salary just along with the burger flippers, most employees are cross trained to do every single Duty within the store.. The quality speaks for itself..
Because he had integrity, pulled over and didn't start acting like a jackass. It's amazing what saying a simple little thing like " please and thank you " can do. For the most part life is simple. Don't screw people over, don't screw someone who is married (unless the other one is cool with it) and so on. Kinda like the bible, minus all the sci-fi, magic and pedophilia. It's a common sense guide book to life.
Default motorway limit in UK is 70 MPH. Could have been lowered by LED signs during rush hour, but it will not be more than 70. A friend from the UK told me 100 in a 70 results in a license ban.
If they've been done for 'excess over 70' will mean they were exceeding the 70 limit. We have offence 'bands', and this would come into band c. Band C offences result in a MINIMUM of 6 points and a 7 day ban. As this speed is demonstrably excessive, theyll have attracted the high end of the punishment, 56 day ban and a fine that is 175% of their weekly wage - hence the £1,000 fine. The 6 month ban in this case suggests they were banned under 'totting up' rules, so they already had a number of points, and those they received for this offence put them over the 12 maximum. There are careless/dangerous driving offences, which attract different points & fines etc.
Your "guy" got lucky. There's an old story: "Why did you pull me over, officer? Everyone else was going the same speed!" "Have you ever gone fishing?" "Uh, yes? What does that have to do--" "Did you expect to catch every fish in the pond?"
@stevelehto Controversial question, but if they are worried about speeding so much, why don't they force auto makers to put governors back in vehicles?
It only takes a few weeks to get comfortable driving on the opposite side of the road in a different country. USA to Okinawa. The hard part is going back to your country and trying to remember what side of the road to drive on after almost a decade of driving on the other side. Sometimes, I would have nightmares about driving on the wrong side of the road. It's harder than you think, when you come back home and have to drive the way you learned in the first place. Driving in Okinawa is like nothing else. Some of the rules of the road and markings on the road are much better than the US. People are generally much nicer and considerate.
Nice shirt Steve ! My guess on the radar gun is the policeman may not have held the gun properly and obtained an inaccurate reading. That is quite a lot of speed to be doing in traffic and if the officer admits there was traffic, the traffic likely were all speeding over the limit and that is how the Porsche was able to reach such a faster speed or the radar was simply not accurately/properly recorded. Just getting to 120 MPH is rather tense...160 in traffic? He'd have to have been changing lanes by the second or split second.
You assume that there was bumper to bumper traffic. One thing you need to know is cops lie all the time about that. If the cop says it was rush hour traffic it makes the offense look worse. I had one once out on my ticket it was raining and I was on a back road doing X amount of speed, but I was in fact on the highway and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I owned to different makes of the same car, and they were two completely different colors, and he didn't even ticket the right car. I found the same cop later and outsmarted him. That ticket never went to court and was never paid.
@@jasonbourne1596No, it wouldn't be possible to speed with bumper to bumper traffic, would it? A full freeway of vehicles in all lanes however, at speed, could.
That guy got off really lucky. In Ontario, anything over 50Km/hr over the limit is considered stunt driving. 7 day immediate license suspension. 7 day immediate car impound. 6 demerit points. License suspension up to 2 years. Fine $2000 - $10000. 100% insurance increase.
A revolutionary point made by an excellent movie called "The Indian" (About the Indian motorcycle brand) starring Anthony Hopkins . Is that if you're in a correct vehicle for whatever country you're in, as the driver you will always be situated right next to the median line. Keeping this in mind has helped me so much, especially when at or approaching a junction and I need to figure out correct positioning.
2:10 I knew an Australian visiting close to Asheville, NC one summer. He ended his summer with a head-on collision (minor, no injuries. Before airbags.) because he was driving on the wrong side of the road.
I can see that happening, when I was in the US in the '80s it was real hard to get out of the left hand side of the road mindset, trucks give you a good reminder though FARRRP!
Back in the day, when my high school class let out, my tires spun on a gravel road while a LEO was parked up in a driveway (I didn’t see him) so he gave me a ticket for violation of the basic speed law (Michigan) which I understand is the ticket given to drivers that aren’t violating the speed limit but driving too fast for conditions. I had to sell the car to pay for the ticket.
4:25 It used to be that if you went over 80mph, it was automatically reckless driving in VA, with the associated jail time... There are highways where the speed limit is 70mph, so it was a bit silly. I think they changed it to an amount over the speed limit instead (maybe 20 mph? not sure).
Jalopnik: he got busted for a slightly enthusiastic test drive in a rural area that he might have gotten away with on the interstate. GM should/could have picked a better area for the promotion, but such is life. His story background describes it exactly, though it may pan out differently if you're from out of state. In the rural areas of the state, the 20mph law becomes a familar fundraiser, and there are towns that are internet famous for sudden speed limit changes followed by immediate traps. You're on a 4 lane highway, it's not marked very well and suddenly it goes from 55 to 35 once you enter this town. Let's be realistic, you're probably doing closer to 60, now you're busted and you must appear in court or have an attorney appear on your behalf. The fundraiser part comes along after you've been sitting there waiting, and then as an incentive to get you to pay and forget about it rather than show up in court, they drop the reckless driving. Bonus, the attorneys in that town or the next closest town over won't take your case.
Georgia has a "super speeder" law. "a person will be a super speeded if they go 75 mph or more on a two-lane road or 85 mph or more on any road or highway." Fines are around $800-$1000. The problem is, cops don't seem to care if you're speeding as long as you're under this super speeder law. 15 mph over is very common around Atlanta for many drivers.
If you have ever been to Corby, you'd want to do at least 162mph, east, west or north. However if going south there's only Kettering and that's worse than Corby
I had a friend with a Pantera back in the 70's that got a ticket for doing 165 mph. He was proud of it and framed it so he could prove it to those that said "no way". He may have been able to outrun the police cars but he couldn't outrun the radios that were calling ahead to set up a roadblock. I had a Gran Torino with the same engine (351 Cleveland Cobra Jet) and got rid of it after a couple of encounters with the law. It was pretty much impossible to keep that car below the speed limit and that Pantera was even harder.
Driving on the other side isn't that bad until you 1) don't look carefully when making a turn, or 2) look the wrong way on a roundabout. I've found that the adrenaline rush from either of those prevents a repeat of the mistake.
I know a half with a motorcycle who blew past a cop in Florida at 165. He ended up doing six monthis in county lockup. The sensible way to control speeding would be to electonically restict the speeed of a vehicle to the speed limit on that roadway. No traffic cops needed.
in Ontario, Canada that's called "stunt driving". Here's the results: immediate 30 day license suspension, 14 day car impoundment, $2-10K fine and, if convicted, compulsory 1 year suspension with the possibility of more if it's, say 162 instead of 100. also, try getting insurance for the rest of your life. we don't go for this crp. this also applies to idiocy like donuts and burn outs
Atty William Ponder Livonia MI was a very interesting man and amazing defense lawyer back in the 70's, 16th District Court. Made a LEO cry on stand during reckless driving case involving me.
Ferdinand Porsche was the founder. He made some great cars in his time but military vehicles, not so much. He developed the Ferdinand tank, which was a disaster at the battle of Kursk and quickly obtained the the nickname Elefant (elephant).
If I remember correctly in Missouri, if you’re over 100 mph or maybe it’s 99+ it’s considered attempted suicide and you will get an automatic 72 hour or 96 hour psych hold as well and the vehicle impounded- or used to be about 20 years ago but I doubt that it was ever changed
I once did 120 mph through Seattle during rush hour. I was the only car in the "express lanes," which were open in the opposite direction of traffic, so I said, "what the hell" and opened it up for a mile or two. 😁
@theoriginalpauly > I once did 120 mph through Seattle during rush hour. > I was the only car in the "express lanes," which were > open in the opposite direction of traffic, so I said, >"what the hell" and opened it up for a mile or two. 😁 I did 120 along the Mass 'pike some years ago, one Friday afternoon, for a lot more than a mile or two. Had been there for a 4-week business trip, it was my last day, flying out that evening, I'd been into Boston for some last minute shopping, and was on my way back to Westboro to return the rental Mustang, get my bags, and taxi to the airport. Lovely sunny day, not much traffic, WAAF on the radio, and lets go for it. What's the worst they can do to me, I thought. I was told on a subsequent trip that the worst was throw me in jail, where I would have languished until Monday morning.
Grandma had an Electra 225. Pretty good kick when it downshifted and the second stage kicked in on the dual 4 barrels. Perfect fit for a little old lady who only drove well below the limit to the doctor, pharmacy, and church!
Actually Steve, that's quite a normal penalty for the UK. Most European countries are pretty lenient on such matters, even if some politicians will brag to constituents in the run-up to an election that they're going to get tough on rule-breakers.
I'm from UK but have lived in USA for the past 20 years. Whenever I go back to UK I put a PostIt note on the dash that reads "Drive on the LEFT." This is necessary because sometimes I get into "autopilot" and forget, especially when leaving parking lots.
I visited the UK before the pandemic, and the only time it really affected me was on left turns. nearly every left turn, I would have a reflexive "we're on the wrong side" moment. (I didn't drive while there, and I probably won't if we go back, because of that reflex)
Me too, except my note reads "Drive on the ROAD", well, what can I say... my autopilot is much wilder than it should ( -.-)
And left turns are the easy ones. Right turns take more awareness. Pedestrians should look to the right first when crossing the road, not the left. All sorts of little things we take for granted would be reversed.
There's no way I could do it. Besides, ima dog. Actually, my owner is semi-professional and he says nope. (Yeah, its such an ingrained, automatic set of skills, I just seriously doubt I could do it, at least not for an extended period of time. -E and yeah, I'd probably go to the wrong side getting into the car. 😄)
We have a lot of tourists in my area, and it was, unfortunately, quite common for them to emerge onto major roads on the "wrong" side, sometimes fatally. We now have a lot of large signs in the busiest areas telling folk to drive on the left, and it seems to have had the desired effect.
162 mph equates to 260.7 kph. Years ago while stationed in Germany; I was driving the Autobahn, I was driving 100 mph/160 kph and had a Mercedes pass me like I was sitting still. I thought I was going fast.
Yep, that's the Autobahn. Usually the slow drivers are who cause the pile ups and police will pull you over for going too slow.
It is driving on the small roads where it is most dangerous.
that's why the right lane is the driving lane. I was overtaking at 180. checked behind me to pass and by the time I did a Porsche was on my tail with high beams. Also passed like i was standing still.
Or maybe Arkansas? Check out those ASP vids. But yeah pulling over slow drivers who cause just as much trouble should happen here.@@isthattrue1083
That Mercedes wasn't going that fast if you could tell what it was. I was doing 80 mph in a 5 ton dump truck when a black blur past me.
I got caught in Maryland back in the mid 80's doing over a 100mph in a 55mph zone. I actually stopped and waited on the trooper to come get me. After he asked me where I was going in such a rush. I told him that I was going up to my Dad's house to help on the farm. He gave me a ticket for 74 in a 55 and $45.00 fine with 1 point. I wanted to give him a hug. He was laughing at me and told me to slow down a little. I never did that again.
In 1984 I was ticketed for 105 in a 55 zone, no radar, paced by an unmarked state police car. He just ticketed me for speeding, no reckless or any other charge. Cost me $200 + $1/mph over the limit and the cost of a lawyer. No suspension or other penalty. Oh, and the trooper thanked me for pulling over.
For those wondering like I was, the speed limit on the A43 bypass in Corby is 70 MPH.
you're wrong. the A43 is not a motorway, so the speed limit is 60
@@jon4320 Nope. It's probably the National Limit.. If it's a dual carriageway and you're in a car, you can do 70mph.
@@jon4320cars in the uk can travel at 70 mph on duel carriageways, it's 60 on single carriageways.
@@jon4320I say the lit intersections timed for 45mph are also timed for 90mph.
So, 60mph, 70mph, either way 😂😂😂
@@davidcopplestone6266 i stand corrected, thank you
My father was born and raised in Geneva New York (Steve's been there.) in the 20's and 30's. He told me a story of the moonshiners and other law breakers that frequently outran the average police car. The city got tired of this and bought a 1935 Hudson Taraplane capable of doing 100 MPH. After the police ran down a few moonshiners and put them in jail, the rest of them chose new routes around Geneva.
Well, they don't call it RUSH hour for no reason . . .
Exactly what I came to comment. Great minds....
Me too.
It’s not named in honor of a Canadian rock trio?
Slow down everyone! It's not a rush! On the M5...
This was my thought upon seeing the headline
Years ago I was in Montreal doing 75 kph i a 60 kph zone. I got pulled over and the cop told me that if i was unable to keep up with traffic to park the thing. I tossed him a salute and took off and was ding 90 kph to keep up. What a town!
In Steve’s anecdote the biker could have said I was riding along obeying the law and a bunch of guys blew past me , I pulled over to let the cop past but he booked me!
This of course depends on a lot of things to get away with but it has actually occurred numerous times that an innocent motorist gets nabbed for others speeding.
If the cop said it had to be over 100 then he had no idea how fast they were going.
*All the time. The radar gun doesn't distinguish which vehicle it tags as speeding; the police officer has to determine which one is being detected as going fast. In situations with heavy traffic, the chances of misidentifying the wrong car are about 50/50. Keep in mind that the officer is monitoring an LED screen on the radar gun and then must quickly look up to visually identify the speeding vehicle.*
@@radicalrick9587 Which is why in most U.S. jurisdictions they are not to use the radar while driving. Cops are weird, but I don't know of any who are weird enough that they can put one eye on the radar readout, one eye on the traffic he is clocking, and one eye on safely operating his cruiser.
I had a cop pull me over, when i was going UNDER the speed limit, because his radar picked up a speeder. Yeah, the guy in the middle lane who just blew past me DEFINITELY breaking the speed limit.
I finally had to say "You saw me in the turn lane, blinker on, and you think i was going to make that turn going 55mps (the speed limit was 45)? He finally got the clue that i wasn't the one he wanted, but by then the other guy was long gone. Let me off with a warning.
So while i didn't get a ticket, i did get a warning, for not breaking the speed limit. O-o gotta wonder about the logic on that one.
@@radicalrick9587 I once got a speeding ticket in a small town and tried to use the location of the officer to argue my case to the magistrate. The cop was parked really far into the woods so you couldn't see he was there until about 10 feet away. I pulled out a trig calculation to show the number he "estimated" me going could not match the radar based on the angle. I don't think it was persuasive but the cop said the trees don't matter because the radar sees through the trees. So i asked him how his radar gun worked and he said he doesn't need to point the radar at anything because it will automatically track the largest moving object in range and he could see how fast i was going very far away when i came over a certain hill. So i said "so your radar tracks the largest moving object in range?" --- "yes" --- "I drive a 2 door coupe and i was driving behind a big red minivan. So wouldn't that mean that you were tracking the minivan?"
The LOOK on his face. His eyes popped out at me then he side eyed over at the judge who was grinning at the cop. The cop then started stammering a bit then went on about some story about how the radar cycles through targets. The judge just stopped him right away and didn't let him say anything else. He was like well i think we can change it to a warning if you're OK with that officer X. They agreed and sent me off. As i left the office i was closing the door and could still hear for a moment the judge was still grinning at the cop. I think just as i closed the door i heard him say something like "you really stepped in shit there."
For those wondering how someone can do that speed during rush-hour, many a time one direction will be bumper-to-bumper while the other carriageway can be totally clear.
Rush-hour exists because the majority of people can't afford to live where they work, so they commute. The fact that the guy was driving a Porsche suggests he's part of the minority that never has to ride with the majority.
Or you have a fast car and bob and weave thru traffic. Even in bumper-to-bumper traffic, you will empty lanes right after choke points. Just watch a chase in LA.
Had they gone 14 MPH faster, they could have gone back in time twice as fast!
That just brings you right back to the present
You gotta be driving a DeLorean.
@@phlodelWhich has zero chance of reaching 176 mph.
@@phlodel In "Back to the Future" the magic speed is 88 mph.
@@donmedford2563 magic being the operative word.
A friend's daughter, adopted from China, was on her way back to college after Thanksgiving. Near her college the PA State Police set up a speed trap figuring they'd catch some college students. The 2 lane highway goes from 55 to 25 very suddenly. The speed limit sign is covered by a large pine tree, so it's easy to miss. She knew to slow down, as she was coming into town, but didn't know it was a 25 MPH zone.
They caught my friend's daughter doing 35 in a 25 zone. My friend's daughter is a very polite, petite, wisp of a child who really respects authority. She complied with everything the cop asked of her. So the cop gave her multiple tickets, including reckless driving. She was just going to pay the tickets when her father discovered that if she paid them, she'd go to jail. It was a serious crime she was charged with. Clearly the cop took advantage of her.
They hired an attorney and when they went to the hearing, the cop immediately caved when he saw the lawyer and her parents. He asked the magistrate to just charge her with 10 over. She paid a $200 fine. If her father hadn't looked out for her, she'd be in jail today.
Land of the free? Home of the brave?
It should of all been dismisses because the speed limit sign was hidden. The cops were fully aware of this and set up there because of it.
If they did that to me it would cost them money. I would demand the ticket be dropped and then I would take a chainsaw and remove their speed trap.
*They didn't have a good lawyer because all they had to do was take a picture of the speed sign being covered by the pine tree (this makes it the city's fault) and the case would have been dismissed. Shame the lawyer didn't know this simple fact.*
@@radicalrick9587 You don't even need a lawyer for this. All you got to do is do another drive by that sign and film it, then take it to court.
@@jasonbourne1596 *I agree, but this person pointed out that a lawyer was hired. So, I pointed out the lawyer's lack of insight in being able to get the case thrown out.*
Road knotsies...
Speaking on driving on the other side of the road being disconcerting, there was an incident not that long ago where someone working for the U.S embassy killed a young man because she forgot which side of the road she was supposed to be on. She got off on diplomatic immunity, ran off back to the U.S and was never punished.
No justice.
She actually went back but I didn’t hear what punishment she faced. His parents wanted her charged with murder. She had stopped and tried to render aid but he died at the scene of the crash. They wanted a stiffer punishment because she was American. She was supposed to have been under the influence of alcohol but there was no evidence of that. The young man was drunk, his BAC was over the limit for him to drive, so he was walking home when he was hit. Apparently, he wandered off the sidewalk into the road and got hit. If she had been in the US, she would have faced no consequences because she passed a breathalyzer test. She was on the wrong side of the road, true, but there was no traffic and it was dark and she had her lights on. She drove the rest of the way home on the correct side of the road. If she’d been British, she would have been on the correct side of the road but it probably wouldn’t have made a difference. If she’d been British she also wouldn’t have faced any consequences, nor would there have been a call for her to.
@@richardbeckenbaugh1805
>She actually went back
No she did not - she invoked a very dubious claim of diplomatic immunity which the USA refused to waive on very specious grounds.
> but I didn’t hear what punishment she faced.
Convicted of causing death by careless driving, sentenced to 8 months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and disqualified from driving for 12. All a bit academic since she never returned to the UK.
> His parents wanted her charged with murder.
No they didn’t.
> They wanted a stiffer punishment because she was American.
No they didn’t.
> She was supposed to have been under the influence of
> alcohol but there was no evidence of that.
Where does “supposed to” come from? She was breathalysed at the scene, as is standard practice, done whether the person is showing any signs of intoxication or not, and found not to be over the limit.
> The young man was drunk,
No he wasn’t.
> his BAC was over the limit for him to drive,
No it wasn’t.
> so he was walking home when he was hit.
No he wasn’t, he was riding a motorcycle.
> Apparently, he wandered off the sidewalk into the road and got hit.
No he didn’t.
Where did you get all this rubbish from?
> If she had been in the US, she would have faced no
> consequences because she passed a breathalyzer test.
Really? In the US you can drive on the wrong side of the road and kill someone in a head-on collision and face no consequences if you’re sober?
*Anybody with knowledge of US traffic laws like to comment?*
> She was on the wrong side of the road, true, but there
> was no traffic and it was dark and she had her lights on.
There was traffic - she collided with it and took a life.
Stop trying to make out that driving on the wrong side of the road is OK if there’s no traffic, and you’ve got your lights on if it’s dark.
> She drove the rest of the way home on the correct side of the road.
Bully for her. Bit late though, really.
> If she’d been British, she would have been on the
> correct side of the road but it probably wouldn’t
> have made a difference.
I can assure you that if she’d been on the correct side she would not have had a head-on collision with someone coming the other way, so yes, being on the correct side would have made a big difference.
> If she’d been British she also wouldn’t have faced any
> consequences, nor would there have been a call for her to.
Utter nonsense - egregious even by your abysmally low standards. If she’d been British and had killed someone because she was driving on the wrong side of the road you bet she would face consequences.
Steve, tell your carpenter friend that "stage flats" don't use feet that hang out the front. They rely on weights placed on the back feet to prevent the backgrounds from tipping forward. Have him chop off the front feet so you can slide the bookcases together.
Brilliant! A capital idea.
I lived in England in 1964. They had one Motorway (freeway) and it had no speed limit. Seeing opportunity, they tested Shebly AC Cobras early in the morning at speeds of more than 200 MPH. As the Brits say, "Pressures were brought to bear" and the practice stopped. We loved the quote from the Bedfordshire Chief Constable, "Speeds of 180 MPH on the public highway could be dangerous."
I love how Steve described driving like the British as being very disconcerting. That was adorable and I laughed so hard.
Corby by-pass (A43) is a dual carriageway so the speed limit is 70 BUT there are some bits with 40mph limit. 30mph over the limit is apparently often referred to by Police as "walkies" because if you do that you will get a driving ban for a period.
I'm impressed that you can get any carriage up to anything above 70mph - must be some pretty impressive horses ya got
Steve you are a dam good man and we really need more like you in America I was dam near killed by a Young cop in Cincy but never got a lawyer and so sad i never did listing to your law
About the Virginia reckless driving anecdote: in VA anything over 80 is considered reckless no matter the speed limit. So 80 in a 70 on a rural interstate is just as "reckless" as 80 in a 55 in the middle of a town.
😂! I found THAT out one night, driving a rental Trans Am from VA Beach to Norfolk (after a day partying on the beach😊). We wanted to know what it would do... I could only get 95 out of it. There was NO traffic, straight four lane highway. I let it coast down, a guy in the back asked if I thought that cop (what cop?😊) got me on radar...
Yeah, he caught me doing 85...
Kids, don't go to the Norfolk jail @ 2:30 in the morning!
@@brucelytle1144Don't go to Virginia. I'll never go back again.
@@jasonbourne1596 that was (holy shit!) 40 years ago, I thought then I'd never go back, but did pass through Norfolk about 6 months later. I layer low that time, and never been back since!
Thank you for pronouncing Porsche correctly. My father had a couple of them back in the 80's, and I learned to drive a manual transmission in his 944. They are very fun cars to strive.
Someone needs to get a life.
@@EarlJames500 We'd have flying cars by now if they won the war.
Thank you from Germany for pronouncing Porsche correctly! :D
“Your Honor, this is a simple mistake. I thought being a WRECKLESS driver was desirable.” 😂
6 month suspension/£1000 fine is the maximum for speeding in England. They could have opted to charge him with careless or dangerous driving, which would have given the court the option of much more severe sentences - for 162mph I'm surprised they didn't.
Incidentally we don't use radar guns any more in the UK - he was detected by a laser speed meter operating out of the back of a static van.
Folks in US cities are doing the "wilding" thing, speeding down the urban highways doing 40 to 60 mph above the speed limit, weaving in and out of traffic, going down the shoulders when necessary. It's the stuff of which manslaughter charges are made. Speeding on an empty road? That's one thing. Speeding where you are every second putting lives at serious risk? That's another.
As for the motorcycles being crazy, a friend who's a sheriff's deputy says when he sees a motorcycle zip by at 110mph, he doesn't even try to chase 'em. "The only way I can catch a motorcycle that decides to flee is if they crash". And since there's about a 50/50 chance the motorcycle will flee, what's the point? Is it worth killing an 18yo to stop him speeding? Is it worth sending him to 150mph straight into the side of a van with a family inside? So he just watches 'em go by.
For the motorcycle, above a certain speed it all hurts the same.
That kind of speed practically defines recklessness. You knew or should have known that it was likely to lead to injury or death. There is no way a human driver can react adequately when a rear bumper approaches them at 162 mph, in the case of a stationary vehicle, or even at 90 mph, in the case of a vehicle moving in the same direction at 72 mph. We don't have that kind of reflexive ability to avoid the collision, and probably neither does the speeding vehicle (even a Porsche). And roads are not empty at rush hour, certainly not in England.
Yeah, it's actually against the law for police too chase speeding bikers at that speed.
No you don't get to make this about the U.S, this was your boy.
@@glynnetolar4423 They do indeed do this. This is the normal procedure in most places. Pretty universally, even where it isn't strictly against the rules to chase the motorcyclist, it is strongly encouraged that you don't. Because there is no safe way to stop the chase if they're determined to get away. Any option risks life or heavy injury to both the cop, the motorcyclist, and the public. So what you do is exactly this: you make a record, and catch them when they're home.
The pronunciation lesson reminds me of the joke about the blond who was hired by a rich person for cheap to paint his porch. The blond later reported in that the paint job was done. When the rich person questioned how fast the job got done, the blond merely said "it wasn't that big, and it was a mercedes, not a porch." ^-^
I just drove from S. Carolina to Texas pulling a Uhaul trailer. I saw lots of really aggressive drivers. Plus, in almost every big town I'd see souped up cars racing down the interstate, doing circles in parking lots and streets, etc. It was the worst I've seen.
Just a friendly FYI from London In UK there are no official "plea deals"; In this case he was convicted for exceeding 70MPH, its very likely that was the speed limit on that road.
The points system here is very similar to that in US. Miles are still used in UK.
That word "official" is sticking out like Robert Wadlow in a diamond mine. Do they hapoen unofficially?
@@bartsanders1553 Only if you're an informant or something like that.
How many stones in a UK mile?
@@bartsanders1553 No, the UK justice system is flawless. No corruption at all. It's not like England was built on things like nepotism
Seems to have gotten off light.
Steve has experienced Los Angeles rush hour traffic. Getting upto a third the speed limit, is doing well.
Steve, I’m glad you added your story. I found yours to be more interesting. Have a fantastic day.
Yeah I been there done that a couple times myself. Stopping right away does seem to help and the situation has gone better then what expected. Told the officer I was doing 75 in a 70 and he said try again ! I couldn't tell my speed meter doesn't read that high so he took his flashlight to look at it and said the needle is broken off ! Yeah i know that's why I can tell you what I was doing but cruising along. Take a guess then 80 ? Try again ! I really don't want to because of the trouble you might want to put me through. But I was trying a shake down on the car because I just got it back running do you want to see how I did by looking at it right now? Then I pop the hood latch. We open open the hood and he was impressed by the work. Made it look stock and everything as close as possible by the engine compartment was all motor and took him i just put a cam and carburetor in the motor and duel exhaust and sounds real good now. THAT AIN'T A STOCK 305 ! YEAH JUST A BIG BROTHER ! So I fired up the motor and cracked the carb and the sound was mean and he said that aint stock but I like it too; so why did you stop then ? I rather deal with you only here instead of down the road where you can have 15 of your " friends" waiting for me. Yeah I told them that you was stopping for me. See out of respect for your position and job. So how fast was i going? 142 .
Story from my dad and grandfather, in the late 50' s they were at a dinner when they were returning from Bonneville. Some guy in a lakester (car set up for the salt flats) went by the diner at over 180 mph and shifted. A minute or two later, several cops went by with lights and sirens. They caught the guy a few miles down the road when he ran out of gas, was drunk btw.
They heard the details later from the cops.
Doppler shift?
lol
@johngalt97 lol maybe 🤔
Ever watch the movie World's Fastest Indian?
Hey Steve, thanks for the video:) Just wanted to let you know that I believe 70mph is the national speed limit in England, according to some British RUclipsrs I've watched (Alex Kersten, formerly on CarThrottle) perhaps that's what they meant when they said 162mph was more than double the speed limit (70mph national speed limit)
70mph is the default speed limit on dual carriageways (i.e. with a median or central reservation as we call it here) and it's 60mph on single carriageways.
@spankeyfish Unless you are on the M6, which is perpetual 50 because the roadworks seem to be stuck in some sort of time loop that never ends.
Ben waiting for the bus, in line behind mic #2, Steve's RHS
Even when you tell me where Ben is I still can’t see him. 😅
@@user-no1cares Should I stop telling you?😂😂
Nothing better than a skilled competent attorney.
The only break I ever got on speeding was when I was pulled over for 135 on my motorcylce in a 55. Had a good talk with the cop and he made it 75, max allowed before arresting me... with a threat that if he heard about me getting popped again he would make sure no break was given. This was long, long ago.
1976, I was street racing on Van Nuys Blvd, got popped for doing 115. LAPD wrote me up for "47 in a 35" because I was polite and didn't bullshit them (a $20 ticket). 50 in a 35 would have been exhibition of speed and engaging in a speed contest, both $125.50.
OK Steve, if you use the speed with mph then you must reflect the fine in USD, or, if you use pounds for currency thern you must use kilometers for speed. It’s a rule somewhere, Michigan state law or something.
the UK uses MPH as well,..., they are only partially metric and use it for things like temperature and even use really arcane measurements like stones for weight...
@@justin423 Our gallons are larger too.
@@justin423 Thanks Justin, so they’re almost normal, right? 😆
ALWAYS stop and wait for the officer - even if the lights aren't on yet.
I got stopped once in my 1978 Street Kitcar doing 125+. Pittsfield cop wrote me up for 60 in a 55 because "you have me so outclassed you could have lost me. Thank you for stopping." My favorite car story from back in the day. Well, not really - I was going for the top end on my retired 82 crown vic police car (MPH classified, speedo did go to 200). I stopped and waited. Took the trooper 10 minutes to catch up to me. Got a ticket for changing lanes without signaling.
In the UK normally going over 100 mph is automatically a year's ban from driving and fine and normally at this speed (162mph) you have to retake your driving test again.
From photos from the police van it looks like the police van was on the other side of the carriageway so they could only get one photo of this person at this speed add in location, calibration and other issues with catching the driver a lot of things could be argued in court so they just did a plea deal.
The road itself looks like 70 mph but due to the junction layout, it could be as low as 50 mph.
It also looks like the police either wrote to the person a letter or turned up on the doorstep a day or so later to ask about the speed.
In England here. From a glance at a map, the speed limit on that road will be 70mph (dual carriageway national speed limit).
As for how speeding is usually handled, below a certain threshold it will be an out of court disposal. If you haven’t had one recently, the out of court disposal might be going on a driver safety course (you pay the course fee); otherwise it will be a fixed penalty of £100 and 3 points. If you want to contest the ticket or if the points would take you to 12 (which is when the court has to decide whether or not to revoke your licence), it has to go to court.
Beyond the threshold, it has to go to court. In court the maximum penalty is a fine, court/prosecution costs and either 3-6 points or a 7-56 day disqualification; the maximum fine is either £2500 (on a motorway only) or £1000 (on any other road). If points take you to the 12 point limit, a separate ‘totting up’ disqualification applies, which has no maximum length and a minimum of 6, 12, or 24 months depending on previous disqualifications.
There is no threshold where speeding automatically becomes dangerous driving or driving without due care and attention (careless driving). Speed can be a factor for ‘inconsiderate driving’ but that isn’t an offence on its own - causing death by inconsiderate driving and causing serious injury by inconsiderate driving are offences.
Prosecutors and defendants can’t cut deals here like in the same way as in the States, as sentencing is at the sole discretion of the judge (subject to the statutory sentencing guidelines). There’s normally a one third reduction for early guilty pleas, but that only applies to custodial sentences.
My guess is this guy was clocked by an automatic speed camera or a static police unit with a radar gun, and sent a summons by post. If he was pulled over by a dedicated traffic unit, it is more likely he would have been observed driving dangerously/carelessly and prosecuted for that. It’s not clear whether he got any reduction for the early guilty plea (it’s usual for reporters to print the total fine including costs), he may have had the maximum £1000 fine reduced by the costs to give a £1000 total.
I got pulled over doing 140 on my motorcycle; and my MC license was expired. I explained to the cop that I didn't see him and that I was not running from him. He said he was on his way to an accident and didn't have time to deal with me and to get my MC license renewed. And to not come down his stretch of the tollway (Dallas Texas) like that again.
UK national speed limit is 70 mph. (Motorway standard roads)100 is usually a trigger point for higher penalties. I think he got away V-light.
Just so people know because I see the same comment over & over. The UK is officially part of the metric system however it's common for people to still conversate or in this case report using the empirical system. If you watch any auto review videos out of the UK that are meant for a UK audience they will still give range numbers for example in miles. I also used to live in Germany & I would get a lot of TV out of the UK and they would go in between the two systems of measurements all the time. Actually the same thing would happen with the use of the word soccer & football.
Normally it's points on the license and a fine for breaking the speed limit, over 100mph is an instant ban in the UK. If someone gets that sort of punishment the points stay on the license for three years and can significantly increase the cost of insurance for four years, most of the drivers in the UK will go about 10% over and the police tend to ignore that.
Several years ago in the wee hours of the morning, a biker drove up I-205 in Portland Oregon at 142MPH recording the whole thing with his GoPro. He then posted it to social media. Someone noticed it and reported it to the police who decided to give him a visit. When he answered the door they asked him if he was the biker in the video. He admitted it and said, "Wasn't that just awesome?"
Funny you should mention Virginia...I got a ticket there once on Rte 66, late for work and all, and because I was "forthright and honest and didn't try effin me around" said the cop (and maybe also due to my paler skin tone) he wrote me for 14 miles over the speed limit "so you won't get a Reckless Driving charge added"...basically the same story you had with your buddy, except the cop made the call right there at the road...I was only doing 95 in a 55, so a mere 40 over speed limit lol...so I can tell you that in VA, 30 years ago, 15 mph over the speed limit was Reckless Driving 😆😅
Back in the nineties, I was a Marine recruiter in Virginia with my family in N.C. I drove or rode home when I could and once got a ticket exceeding 115 in a 55. I ended up with a lawyer and spent some money, a fair amount not sure, and had ugly marks on my license for some years. The highway patrol officer was quite reasonable, all told. I was happy to pay the fine and lawyer.
Problem with today's legal system is when you 'man up', they treat you like red meat when the reality may be quite different.
This leads to insane charges which are all dismissed because of expensive lawyers which not all are able to afford.
The national speed limit is 70 mph (112 km/h) on motorways, 70 mph (112 km/h) on dual carriageways, 60 mph (96 km/h) on single carriageways and generally 30 mph (48 km/h) (20 mph (32 km/h) in Wales) in areas with street lighting (Built-up area). These limits may be changed by road signs and apply to cars, motorcycles, car-derived vans up to 2 tonnes maximum laden weight (MLW), and to motorhomes or motor caravans not more than 3 long tons (3.05 tonnes) maximum unladen weight. Other classes of vehicles are subject to lower limits on some roads.[1]
Well, there is one MAJOR difference... they didn't try to kill him: neither did shoot him, nor did they run him off the road or flip him over.
They probably asked him if he'd like a spot of tea after they wrote out the ticket
I was a passenger in a Prius when we were pulled over doing 118 on the freeway near Novi in the wee hours. No ticket!!!! I bet that's a record in a Prius lol.....
I've never driven in the UK, but I did drive in Ireland, which also uses the left side of the road. I really didn't find it all that odd, since you're also on the opposite side of the car from the US standard, so the driver is still on the side of the car closest to opposing traffic, has to be particularly cautious about turns to his own direction, etc. I picked up a rental car at an airport (not where I flew into Ireland, as it happened), and by the time I was off airport grounds it felt pretty normal. I used to tell people that it was helpful to me that I'd practiced driving on the left at home for a couple weeks ahead of time, but I only said that for humor's sake, and it probably works better in person.
Within America, if you are a CDL holder, at 26 mph over the speed limit, it becomes an attempted vehicular homicide automatically under the FMCSA of 1986. It also becomes reckless driving at a lower speed than 25 mph for CDL holders. I can't remember the speed under the 49 CFR, which covers the FMCSA.
Police: I’ve been waiting for you to come by here all day. Driver: I got here as fast as I could!
Hey Steve, love your content watch you all the time.
Just curious to know if you know or have ever met news reporter Rob Wolchek? If so that would be cool. Two Michigan legends right there! Thnx, keep up the great work!
Brit here!
The A43 Corby Bypass is a dual carriageway road with a National Speed Limit, which for dual carriageway is 70mph (for cars).
Likelihood is a Dangerous Driving charge which, as in a Michigan Reckless charge, can include jail time.
What worries me is the driver’s age, and likely slower reactions than, say a 30yo.
I just drove from Arkansas to Idaho and back, noting that there aren't near as many speeders in the West as there are in the East. I frequent the Carolinas, too
Love the shirt Steve, In-N-Out burgers is a California institution!.. maybe the guy was trying to outrun his destiny. Lol
As someone who watches dozens of people almost die daily, yes. During covid the highway rule was "If you wanna go 90, you get over in the slow lane."
Yep. Been there.
Why almost?
@@toolbaggers Because somehow they haven't crashed yet.
A friend of mine was clocked at 135 m.p.h. on the Kansas Turnpike (a section of I-35/I-70 between Wichita and ends west of Kansas City, KS), I don't remember how much his fine was, as it was a LONG time ago (he was driving a 1976 Dodge Charger special edition with a replacement engine that was a Plymouth 451 Hemi). When KHP caught him, it was because they had barricaded the turnpike exit east of KC with road construction equipment. The first trooper to reach the car told him "I oughta pull you out of there and kick your a**. Damn, I had driving fast! I don't remember whether or not Max got his license suspended or not. If it was suspended, he ignored it. I don't think I ever heard how much his fine was. According to Max, he was actually going faster than 135 in the ensuing pursuit, but they didn't have evidence to support a higher speed than the 135.
Max passed away at 32 from malignant melanoma, about 10-12 years after the incident.
At $1200 and 6 months suspension, he got off easy. In most states here, there would be possible jail time and thousands of dollars.
You pretty much never get even close to the max penalties for stuff like this unless there is a boat load of other charges with the felony speeding or you have a history of similar or worse behavior. Got pulled over doing 135 once and didn't even get a ticket.
He definitely got off easy. I've seen dashcam videos and read stories about UK driving and some speeding infractions got fines, points, suspensions and jail.
Being the UK I’m wondering if this was a speed camera (they love those out there). I’m also wondering that it makes no sense to be able to drive that fast IN rush hour traffic so maybe he was on a clear road DURING rush hour times but not in traffic (they’re also silly that way over there).
Thank you for pronouncing Porsche correctly!!!!
UK national speed limits are 70 (divided highways M and A routes), 60 (country B roads), 30 (towns), 20 (school zones). There are no variations like in the US cities (no 35, 45, 55, or the like).
BTW, Steves friend with the motorcycle ticket, its really something that the officer could pin the speeding on THAT motorcyclist who had pulled over. Would have been rather easy to suggest the police officer saw "a group of motorcycles" speeding but not exactly which one was traveling at the speed on the radar gun. I'd have asked for a dismissal if push came to shove simply because he wouldn't have been able to answer the question, which motorcycle was traveling at the speed on the radar gun.
He cannot even verify for sure I bet that bike he pulled over was one of them, unless he emediatly pulled over.
IN/OUT is privately owned, they manufacture all of their own products buns meat grinding, to control quantity, so they're doing just fine, originally started out of Orange County, had a little catastrophe when many family members died in a private plane crash, they survived that...
They also pay very well, they're store managers make a really good salary just along with the burger flippers, most employees are cross trained to do every single Duty within the store..
The quality speaks for itself..
Dudes story is: my client did something wrong but it's okay because the others did something worse. Nice
They didnt lower the charges because others did worse they did it because of good intentions.
It's his job to look out for his client's interests, and that is his client's right.
Because he had integrity, pulled over and didn't start acting like a jackass. It's amazing what saying a simple little thing like " please and thank you " can do. For the most part life is simple. Don't screw people over, don't screw someone who is married (unless the other one is cool with it) and so on. Kinda like the bible, minus all the sci-fi, magic and pedophilia. It's a common sense guide book to life.
Default motorway limit in UK is 70 MPH. Could have been lowered by LED signs during rush hour, but it will not be more than 70. A friend from the UK told me 100 in a 70 results in a license ban.
As a Brit I would agree. 100+mph and you can kiss your licence goodbye
If they've been done for 'excess over 70' will mean they were exceeding the 70 limit. We have offence 'bands', and this would come into band c. Band C offences result in a MINIMUM of 6 points and a 7 day ban. As this speed is demonstrably excessive, theyll have attracted the high end of the punishment, 56 day ban and a fine that is 175% of their weekly wage - hence the £1,000 fine. The 6 month ban in this case suggests they were banned under 'totting up' rules, so they already had a number of points, and those they received for this offence put them over the 12 maximum.
There are careless/dangerous driving offences, which attract different points & fines etc.
Your "guy" got lucky. There's an old story:
"Why did you pull me over, officer? Everyone else was going the same speed!"
"Have you ever gone fishing?"
"Uh, yes? What does that have to do--"
"Did you expect to catch every fish in the pond?"
"Did you know in California the law requires the speed limit to be set at the 85th percentile?"
@stevelehto Controversial question, but if they are worried about speeding so much, why don't they force auto makers to put governors back in vehicles?
It only takes a few weeks to get comfortable driving on the opposite side of the road in a different country. USA to Okinawa.
The hard part is going back to your country and trying to remember what side of the road to drive on after almost a decade of driving on the other side.
Sometimes, I would have nightmares about driving on the wrong side of the road.
It's harder than you think, when you come back home and have to drive the way you learned in the first place.
Driving in Okinawa is like nothing else. Some of the rules of the road and markings on the road are much better than the US.
People are generally much nicer and considerate.
Nice shirt Steve !
My guess on the radar gun is the policeman may not have held the gun properly and obtained an inaccurate reading. That is quite a lot of speed to be doing in traffic and if the officer admits there was traffic, the traffic likely were all speeding over the limit and that is how the Porsche was able to reach such a faster speed or the radar was simply not accurately/properly recorded.
Just getting to 120 MPH is rather tense...160 in traffic? He'd have to have been changing lanes by the second or split second.
You assume that there was bumper to bumper traffic. One thing you need to know is cops lie all the time about that. If the cop says it was rush hour traffic it makes the offense look worse.
I had one once out on my ticket it was raining and I was on a back road doing X amount of speed, but I was in fact on the highway and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
I owned to different makes of the same car, and they were two completely different colors, and he didn't even ticket the right car.
I found the same cop later and outsmarted him. That ticket never went to court and was never paid.
@@jasonbourne1596No, it wouldn't be possible to speed with bumper to bumper traffic, would it? A full freeway of vehicles in all lanes however, at speed, could.
Guys were bragging about their attorneys. One guy says he was charged with soddomy, and his lawyer pled it down to following too close.
That guy got off really lucky. In Ontario, anything over 50Km/hr over the limit is considered stunt driving. 7 day immediate license suspension. 7 day immediate car impound. 6 demerit points. License suspension up to 2 years. Fine $2000 - $10000. 100% insurance increase.
A revolutionary point made by an excellent movie called "The Indian" (About the Indian motorcycle brand) starring Anthony Hopkins . Is that if you're in a correct vehicle for whatever country you're in, as the driver you will always be situated right next to the median line. Keeping this in mind has helped me so much, especially when at or approaching a junction and I need to figure out correct positioning.
2:10 I knew an Australian visiting close to Asheville, NC one summer. He ended his summer with a head-on collision (minor, no injuries. Before airbags.) because he was driving on the wrong side of the road.
Easy to do after you turn a corner on secondare roads.
I lived in Japan and would travel back to the USA several times per year.
I can see that happening, when I was in the US in the '80s it was real hard to get out of the left hand side of the road mindset, trucks give you a good reminder though FARRRP!
Back in the day, when my high school class let out, my tires spun on a gravel road while a LEO was parked up in a driveway (I didn’t see him) so he gave me a ticket for violation of the basic speed law (Michigan) which I understand is the ticket given to drivers that aren’t violating the speed limit but driving too fast for conditions. I had to sell the car to pay for the ticket.
4:25 It used to be that if you went over 80mph, it was automatically reckless driving in VA, with the associated jail time... There are highways where the speed limit is 70mph, so it was a bit silly. I think they changed it to an amount over the speed limit instead (maybe 20 mph? not sure).
@@cancermcaids7688 depends where in VA. By the NC border, I95 is 70mph
Jalopnik: he got busted for a slightly enthusiastic test drive in a rural area that he might have gotten away with on the interstate. GM should/could have picked a better area for the promotion, but such is life. His story background describes it exactly, though it may pan out differently if you're from out of state. In the rural areas of the state, the 20mph law becomes a familar fundraiser, and there are towns that are internet famous for sudden speed limit changes followed by immediate traps.
You're on a 4 lane highway, it's not marked very well and suddenly it goes from 55 to 35 once you enter this town. Let's be realistic, you're probably doing closer to 60, now you're busted and you must appear in court or have an attorney appear on your behalf. The fundraiser part comes along after you've been sitting there waiting, and then as an incentive to get you to pay and forget about it rather than show up in court, they drop the reckless driving. Bonus, the attorneys in that town or the next closest town over won't take your case.
Georgia has a "super speeder" law. "a person will be a super speeded if they go 75 mph or more on a two-lane road or 85 mph or more on any road or highway." Fines are around $800-$1000. The problem is, cops don't seem to care if you're speeding as long as you're under this super speeder law. 15 mph over is very common around Atlanta for many drivers.
If you have ever been to Corby, you'd want to do at least 162mph, east, west or north. However if going south there's only Kettering and that's worse than Corby
It is only reckless driving if you are NOT A COP !!! Then the laws don't apply to you.
FYI: Speed limit on motorways in Britain is 70 mph
That quote in the outro is perfect for this video.
I think they saw "rush hour traffic" and "162mph" and realized something didn't add up, so the prosecutor cut a deal.
I had a friend with a Pantera back in the 70's that got a ticket for doing 165 mph. He was proud of it and framed it so he could prove it to those that said "no way". He may have been able to outrun the police cars but he couldn't outrun the radios that were calling ahead to set up a roadblock. I had a Gran Torino with the same engine (351 Cleveland Cobra Jet) and got rid of it after a couple of encounters with the law. It was pretty much impossible to keep that car below the speed limit and that Pantera was even harder.
Driving on the other side isn't that bad until you 1) don't look carefully when making a turn, or 2) look the wrong way on a roundabout. I've found that the adrenaline rush from either of those prevents a repeat of the mistake.
THANK YOU for mentioning the correct way to say Porsche.
Finally an old guy who can drive his fast car
In the state of Indiana 15 over the speed limit is a felony
I know a half with a motorcycle who blew past a cop in Florida at 165. He ended up doing six monthis in county lockup. The sensible way to control speeding would be to electonically restict the speeed of a vehicle to the speed limit on that roadway. No traffic cops needed.
in Ontario, Canada that's called "stunt driving". Here's the results: immediate 30 day license suspension, 14 day car impoundment, $2-10K fine and, if convicted, compulsory 1 year suspension with the possibility of more if it's, say 162 instead of 100. also, try getting insurance for the rest of your life. we don't go for this crp. this also applies to idiocy like donuts and burn outs
Atty William Ponder Livonia MI was a very interesting man and amazing defense lawyer back in the 70's, 16th District Court. Made a LEO cry on stand during reckless driving case involving me.
When a man drives that fast you give him a break and write the ticket for 120, just because you can.
In Virginia is not just a certain amount over the speed limit that is reckless driving. It is also at anytime you go over 80 mph.
Ferdinand Porsche was the founder. He made some great cars in his time but military vehicles, not so much. He developed the Ferdinand tank, which was a disaster at the battle of Kursk and quickly obtained the the nickname Elefant (elephant).
Speeding on a motorcycle! The memories I have.
If I remember correctly in Missouri, if you’re over 100 mph or maybe it’s 99+ it’s considered attempted suicide and you will get an automatic 72 hour or 96 hour psych hold as well and the vehicle impounded- or used to be about 20 years ago but I doubt that it was ever changed
I once did 120 mph through Seattle during rush hour. I was the only car in the "express lanes," which were open in the opposite direction of traffic, so I said, "what the hell" and opened it up for a mile or two. 😁
@theoriginalpauly
> I once did 120 mph through Seattle during rush hour.
> I was the only car in the "express lanes," which were
> open in the opposite direction of traffic, so I said,
>"what the hell" and opened it up for a mile or two. 😁
I did 120 along the Mass 'pike some years ago, one Friday afternoon, for a lot more than a mile or two. Had been there for a 4-week business trip, it was my last day, flying out that evening, I'd been into Boston for some last minute shopping, and was on my way back to Westboro to return the rental Mustang, get my bags, and taxi to the airport.
Lovely sunny day, not much traffic, WAAF on the radio, and lets go for it.
What's the worst they can do to me, I thought.
I was told on a subsequent trip that the worst was throw me in jail, where I would have languished until Monday morning.
135 or so in an Electra 225. The 455 did the best it could but I was still late.
Grandma had an Electra 225. Pretty good kick when it downshifted and the second stage kicked in on the dual 4 barrels. Perfect fit for a little old lady who only drove well below the limit to the doctor, pharmacy, and church!
Actually Steve, that's quite a normal penalty for the UK. Most European countries are pretty lenient on such matters, even if some politicians will brag to constituents in the run-up to an election that they're going to get tough on rule-breakers.