Life without a car?

[Diving Pete]

I lent my car to my friend to MOT it (an MOT Tester & HGV driver for 30 years).
He brought it back to me that evening white faced & asked that I never allow him to drive it again. His words were 'he accelerated from the lights leading onto the motorway & then looked at the speedo - the needle was buried at the 140mph stop.

My car was a fully modified Ford Capri fitted with a Rover 3.5 EFI v8. He never drove it again...

 

[Diving Pete]

Back to the OP.

Tell your friend:
Get a really good lawyer
He will be banned for at least a year & if thats all he gets then consider himself lucky..

 

[Hacker]

Back to the OP.

Tell your friend:
Get a really good lawyer
He will be banned for at least a year & if thats all he gets then consider himself lucky..

Yep, I agree. Your 'friend' will be very lucky if he escapes a custodial sentence, I reckon he may get 3-4 months although he might be fortunate and have it suspended.

 

[kelack]

I have to say i'd believe his penitence for this was a lot more genuine if he dropped the 3rd person schtick and just said "I've been a total arse" etc

The it wasn't me, it was "my mate" thing is getting old - its only one step away from "a big boy did it and ran away"

I read "friend" in inverted commas as he's not technically a friend anymore rather than it's actually me :shrug:

 

[big soft moose]

that's not the received wisdom on the much longer thread on piston heads, if it is a "friend" who's not even a friend anymore , then the OP knows a remarkable amount about the incident, his "friends" feelings about it and his past history

 

[kelack]

Well then maybe you should carry on discussing it there in that way then. I don't think you keep going on about it has anything to do with the question that was asked. You're reminding me of a dog with a bone

 

[big soft moose]

apart from answering your question I've only mentioned it twice in two days, in which time 4 other people have also raised the issue, hardly keeping on going on about it :shake:

Imo it is relevant to the question raised because the best advice to anyone in that situation is to practice coming over as penitent and profoundly sorry for your actions, so that they'll convince the court that it was one foolhardy act of madness not a habitual driving style

which imo is their best chance of only getting a ban , and not also a whopping fine and/or jail time (the maximum for this offence is 5k and 6 months).

 

[gman]

Find it hard to believe a policeman hiding behind a gantry on the M74 and he couldn't see him ahead.

I'm wondering if it's the new M74, there is a part which looks like it was specifically made for police to hide in (going Eastbound)

Here's the co'ords: 55.842021,-4.254928

 

[neil_g]

I suspect the op is using third party description of himself so not to assume any guilt if anyone happened to show this thread to the justice system.

It's daft as I'm sure the op account would tie back to the person committing the crime anyway (if the asked the admins for ip addresses and or email addresses).

 

[Garry Edwards]

That speed is far too fast - but haven't a lot of us done something similar?
Personally I've driven at very high speeds in Germany - it was legal but on a road that was nowhere near as good as the M74 - and the negative comments in this thread tend to be more about the safety than the illegality.

And I admit to driving at close to that speed once in a very fast car that I'd only had for a few days, I knew I was speeding but only realised my actual speed when the rev limiter kicked in. The acceleration was so good, the handling, noise levels and comfort so outstanding that I simply got taken by surprise.

I'm not defending law breaking, but with modern, high performance cars (although my car at the time was much faster than most) there can be an element of error involved, rather than deliberate action.

 

[onomatopoeia]

I suspect the op is using third party description of himself so not to assume any guilt if anyone happened to show this thread to the justice system.

It's daft as I'm sure the op account would tie back to the person committing the crime anyway (if the asked the admins for ip addresses and or email addresses).

I can't see the CPS (or whatever they are called in Scotland) serving a Norwich Pharmacal order on TP over this topic if they already have speed camera evidence. Or even if they don't.

edit - I've never understood the use of the third person in these circumstances, admitting the fact of being charged is not the same as admitting guilt, after all.

 

[stupar]

I'm not defending law breaking, but with modern, high performance cars (although my car at the time was much faster than most) there can be an element of error involved, rather than deliberate action.

Possible although I don't think pressing the loud pedal into the shag pile carpet could be classed as an error, I would say that is more deliberate!

 

[arclight]

Back to the OP.

Tell your friend:
Get a really good lawyer
He will be banned for at least a year & if thats all he gets then consider himself lucky..

Yes, the lawyer will get him a smaller fine then hit him with a bill bigger than the fine would have been

 

[PaulF]

That speed is far too fast - but haven't a lot of us done something similar?

I'm not defending law breaking, but with modern, high performance cars (although my car at the time was much faster than most) there can be an element of error involved, rather than deliberate action.

No, not double the speed limit.

The car in use was a diesel estate and the speed achieved was the maximum speed for the vehicle, a few mph above according to manufacture specs so no chance of it being an error, foot firmly planted to the floor.

I think most of the negative comments on here are due to the attitude of the op's 'friend' in that he's been caught doing that speed, is clearly trying to make some excuses around 'the road was clear, fenced, wasn't dangerous (to avoid the DD charge) and shocked he was doing such a speed' and then see's the prospect of not being able to do landscape photography due to no licence (or prison) as important! In his position I'd be more concerned how I'd be able to provide for my family when I lost my job doubly so if a custodial sentence is passed.

My advice to the op's 'friend' would be sell the car now and get used to public transport then admit everything in court and say sorry a lot then at least the judge may see he's remorseful of his actions when dishing out the punishment.

 

[Martyn D]

The trouble is police/courts etc look just at the recorded speed and analyse from there, yes it was to fast and he could well have been putting himself in danger but I've seen many many dangerous drivers doing 45/50 on a dual or motorway* putting a lot of others in danger and nothing seems to happen to them.
My advise would be go to court and appologise profusely, say it was a very very stupid mistake and a harsh lesson is learnt, the last thing a judge wants to hear is someone saying how safe they are and how above the law they think they are.

* partial blame has to lay with Honda for fitting 47mph limiters onto the Honda Jazz

 

[cambsno]

The trouble is police/courts etc look just at the recorded speed and analyse from there, yes it was to fast and he could well have been putting himself in danger but I've seen many many dangerous drivers doing 45/50 on a dual or motorway* putting a lot of others in danger and nothing seems to happen to them.
My advise would be go to court and appologise profusely, say it was a very very stupid mistake and a harsh lesson is learnt, the last thing a judge wants to hear is someone saying how safe they are and how above the law they think they are.

* partial blame has to lay with Honda for fitting 47mph limiters onto the Honda Jazz

Too right. Someone on the a14 doing 45 the other day. Crazy.

 

[big soft moose]

thing is though doing 50 in the inside lane isnt inherently dangerous - the limit is a maximum not a recommended speed - if the driver or the vehicle isn't safe at 70 its better that they stick to their abilities

Of course 50 in the middle or right hand lane when prevailing traffic speed is higher is dangerous - but people do get done for obstructing the traffic

 

[onomatopoeia]

There was a woman in Bristol was successfully prosecuted for doing 10mph on the inside lane of the M32 and apparently had a "slow driver, please overtake" sign in her back window.

A BRAKE spokesperson condemned the prosecution, I remember a comment about going slower always being inherently safer so it sent out the wrong message.

 

[WillNicholls]

As I'm sure has been said before, the "friend" should know better at their age than to drive at 140mph. The "friend" cannot possibly be positive that someone isn't going to change lanes not expecting someone to be roaring up behind them.

 

[Russ77]

There was a woman in Bristol was successfully prosecuted for doing 10mph on the inside lane of the M32 and apparently had a "slow driver, please overtake" sign in her back window.

A BRAKE spokesperson condemned the prosecution, I remember a comment about going slower always being inherently safer so it sent out the wrong message.

10MPH on a motoway is a totally inappropriate speed and is likely to cause problems for other motorists.

You really wouldn't expect another vehicle to be travelling so slowly unless it was a wide/heavy/unusual load, in which case it would have "safety cars" flashing lights etc to warn other motorists.

Someone driving at 10MPH on a motorway as they're a "slow driver" is totally unacceptable.

 

[WillNicholls]

10MPH on a motoway is a totally inappropriate speed and is likely to cause problems for other motorists.

You really wouldn't expect another vehicle to be travelling so slowly unless it was a wide/heavy/unusual load, in which case it would have "safety cars" flashing lights etc to warn other motorists.

Someone driving at 10MPH on a motorway as they're a "slow driver" is totally unacceptable.

agreed

 

[MatBin]

I was caught on the M1 a few years ago doing just over a 100mph. I could write up a load of excuses but the simple fact is there's no excuse for breaking the law,none, end of in the eyes of the Law/Courts. Their may be mitigating circumstances but if you break the law you pay the consequences.

In my particular case, I apologised profusely to the PC driving the car that nabbed me and he let me off with 98mph and a fixed penalty, partly I susoect because the road was clear, dry etc etc. But he he made it perfectly clear if I had been charged with doing 102mph it would go to court, it would be classed as dangerous driving and I would be facing a hefty fine and/or prison.

I think your "friend" doing 140mph doesnt have a snowballs chance in Hell of not going to prison, landscape photography will be the last thing on his mind at that point. When he gets out trying to pget insurance on anything other than a moped will be prohibitively expensive.

But I'm no lawyer so who knows.

 

[big soft moose]

with a good lawyer , contrition on the "friends "part, a clear case of mitigation (By which I mean the hardship it will cause the family - not a list not excuses about visibility, fencing etc) a ban, and a hefty fine if the 'friend' hasn't done anything like this before its likely (imo and i'm not a lawyer either) that the jail term could be suspended

But yes photography would not be high on my list of priorities - unless the 'friend' is seriously wealthy he may well need to sell his camera gear to pay the fine anyway

 

[SpikeK6]

When I got banned here in Guernsey for more than double the limit it, as I said earleier was a year off the roads £500 fine and a re test.

did all of that but my insurance premium doubled, as the insurance said dangerous driving is a 200% loading on the policy halving every year, so first year back on the roads AFTER my ban it was 200% then 2nd year 100% etc etc.

6 years later I now have a clean licence again and grew up alot with reguards my attitude to speed.
I still have bikes but prefere to tour these days as opposed to the crotch rockets I used to have.

 

[MatBin]

When I got banned here in Guernsey for more than double the limit it, as I said earleier was a year off the roads £500 fine and a re test.

did all of that but my insurance premium doubled, as the insurance said dangerous driving is a 200% loading on the policy halving every year, so first year back on the roads AFTER my ban it was 200% then 2nd year 100% etc etc.

6 years later I now have a clean licence again and grew up alot with reguards my attitude to speed.
I still have bikes but prefere to tour these days as opposed to the crotch rockets I used to have.

In mainland UK there is now a definite attitude to high speed being seen as anti-social, as anti-social as drink/drive was/is and speeds in excess of 100mph are definitely top of that list.

 

[JakeT1992]

I think the chances of you getting a prison sentance are miniscule. Reading online at what others have been caught at and their punishments, some have only had minor bans at speeds greater than yours. I think you'll get a 1 year ban, £400 fine, and have to do an advanced test. Just keep thinking, at least no one died, you'll serve your punishment and be back on the road. It could have ended a lot worse. A friend of mine had an accident in the fog, doing under the speed limit (55mph), when he was 18, and sadly killed an elderly lady. He got 2 years in prison and a 4 year ban. At least this wasn't the case with you, so in a certain sense, you got off lightly.

 

[big soft moose]

Be aware though that most of those cases are in England and wales and were for speeding rather than dangerous driving - Scotland has a tougher stance and the OPs "mate" faces the latter

 

[Shine On]

A customer mine, in England, ended up getting arrested for speeding in the early hours of the morning on an empty motorway on a summer's night. Whilst travelling steadily (in a high performance expensive car), he had another vehicle rush up behind him until it was so close he couldn't see its lights in the mirror. It dropped back then made to undertake on the hard shoulder. It dropped back again and rushed forward directly behind, my customer feared he was to be attacked or car jacked etc, gave it the beans to outrun the vehicle. He pulled away until several miles later there was a police road block across the carriageway. Upon stopping he was arrested - the car behind turned out to be an unmarked police car.

It went to court. The Defence argued that my customer, an ex-professional racing driver in a well prepared high performance car had acted purely as a result of being in fear of his life and property. His past occupation was argued as evidence that he was capable of controlling the vehicle at high speed in a pressured situation. The actual speed he ended up a wasn't recorded, but the in car video clearly showed him pulling away fast from the police car at an indicated 157 mph (which was flat out).

The court found that whilst the unmarked car driver was guilty of entrapment (and lost his job), my customer did not have good enough cause to act the way he did without punishment. He escaped prison and a ban (mitigated because of the fear defence), got fined £2500 and 6 points added to his licence.

Now if the OP's friend just fancied having a silly session to go flat out, the book is likely to be thrown. I think there are a few too many sanctimonious people on here - the excessive speed was unjustified and stupid, but he wasn't selling drugs to kids or driving through a town centre drunk, so whilst a grave error of judgement, lets keep that in perspective, it doesn't make him the next Ian Brady.

 

[JakeT1992]

Now if the OP's friend just fancied having a silly session to go flat out, the book is likely to be thrown. I think there are a few too many sanctimonious people on here - the excessive speed was unjustified and stupid, but he wasn't selling drugs to kids or driving through a town centre drunk, so whilst a grave error of judgement, lets keep that in perspective, it doesn't make him the next Ian Brady.

 

[Digitalize]

Track days don't look so expensive now do they? And this is the exact reason I do them, because the road isn't the place to be messing around, not saying I don't let my speed creep up a bit if the conditions are right, but never above 90 leptons I guess. I'd struggle why you'd even want to take the car to 140 unless it wasn't near its limit and was well prepared for that sort of speed, which most cars aren't, with things worn, loose, not as effective as they should be etc.

This whole 'my friend' thing is tiring, childish and pathetic. And if we can all work it out, I'm sure a court of law would. So you've admitted it, well done. Do the crime, do the time, just hope it's only a ban and not prison food for you.

 

[viv1969]

That speed is far too fast - but haven't a lot of us done something similar?..........Personally I've driven at very high speeds in Germany - it was legal but on a road that was nowhere near as good as the M74 - and the negative comments in this thread tend to be more about the safety than the illegality.

And I admit to driving at close to that speed once in a very fast car that I'd only had for a few days, I knew I was speeding but only realised my actual speed when the rev limiter kicked in. The acceleration was so good, the handling, noise levels and comfort so outstanding that I simply got taken by surprise.

I'm not defending law breaking, but with modern, high performance cars (although my car at the time was much faster than most) there can be an element of error involved, rather than deliberate action.

Errrrr, no. :shrug:

 

[nilagin]

Errrrr, no. :shrug:

I think I know what Garry means. My car is a large family saloon, it doesn't feel that fast where a smaller car would. Several times I've accelerated up slip roads onto the M25, watching for traffic in my mirrors and over my shoulder to make my way onto the motorway only to glance down at the speedo and find the needle has left speed limit behind. Not as fast as the speed at the start of the thread but well on the way.

 

[JakeT1992]

I think I know what Garry means. My car is a large family saloon, it doesn't feel that fast where a smaller car would. Several times I've accelerated up slip roads onto the M25, watching for traffic in my mirrors and over my shoulder to make my way onto the motorway only to glance down at the speedo and find the needle has left speed limit behind. Not as fast as the speed at the start of the thread but well on the way.

I know what you mean too, a brand new high powered saloon doesn't feel like it's going anywhere near as fast as it is. And it's only when you glance down and see its going 100, when you were sure it was 80. The ride is so smooth and effortless, and then engine makes no noise. Car in question here is a BMW 530i, not the most high powered but it still chips along.

 

[viv1969]

I'm sorry, but not at 140 it doesn't; unless you're some sort of fool.

 

[Garry Edwards]

Conversely, many years ago I had a 850cc mini. What with the lack of ground clearance, suspension, soundproofing, decent seats etc., it was pretty well impossible to break the speed limit accidentally. It gave a tremendous illusion of speed.

 

[Shine On]

You know you're doing that sort of speed, the feel of the car, the rate at which scenery and reference points are passing by, the road/wind noise are all elevated above normal. If you genuinely think you can do that by mistake, without noticing at least one of the things above, you have no place in a car at 40mph, let alone any faster. Like many others, I've driven cars at very high speeds on numerous occasions in different conditions, and I've been very aware of the situation every time.

Offer a defence to a court like 'I didn't realise', and prepared to get wrung out - its worse than admitting you wanted to go fast.

 

[TCR4x4]

It appears the OPs "friend" has a previous SP50, although over 3 years old.


Shows the bloke is an idiot who doesn't learn and deserves everything they get.

I would imagine they frequently do this sort of thing and have been lucky thus far not to get caught again.

 

[nilagin]

You know you're doing that sort of speed, the feel of the car, the rate at which scenery and reference points are passing by, the road/wind noise are all elevated above normal. If you genuinely think you can do that by mistake, without noticing at least one of the things above, you have no place in a car at 40mph, let alone any faster. Like many others, I've driven cars at very high speeds on numerous occasions in different conditions, and I've been very aware of the situation every time.

Offer a defence to a court like 'I didn't realise', and prepared to get wrung out - its worse than admitting you wanted to go fast.

When accelerating on slip roads to join motorways, you'd be foolhardy to focus on scenery and reference points. Your focusing on other cars and gaps to merge. Don't know about the cars you've driven but mine makes no more wind or road noise at slow or fast speeds unless the windows are open. My car has uprated suspension so doesn't lift at the front and dip at the rear like standard suspension, this also negates the sense of speed. At 70mph my car is at about 1800rpm in 6th, it's fairly quiet even with a performance exhaust.

 

[johnb]

Any parent that has lost a child to a speeding driver will hope "he" gets a very long sentence & gets made an exhibition of.

Total total stupidity. Should be ashamed, not looking for excuses & technicalities

 

[arclight]

Conversely, many years ago I had a 850cc mini. What with the lack of ground clearance, suspension, soundproofing, decent seats etc., it was pretty well impossible to break the speed limit accidentally. It gave a tremendous illusion of speed.

You don't have any illusion of speed if you monitor your speedo as you should be doing.