How the Brits deal with extreme speeders

LVSteve

LVSteve

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Not to hijack the other driving threads, I thought y'all would be interested to see this. Guy gets pinched for doing double the 70 limit, resulting in:

Seizure of the vehicle;

56 day driving ban;

$2300 in fines.

I've no clue what the costs are to recover a seized vehicle as those kinds of laws came in after I left.

www.bbc.com

Ban for Colchester Lamborghini driver caught doing 140mph

Fred McKennon was clocked by officers doing speed checks, say police.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 
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From the article:

PC Matthew Mehen said: "Speeding at this level is completely unacceptable and shows a reckless disregard for safety.

"Excessive speed dramatically reduces a driver's ability to react to changing road conditions and shortens braking distances."
Click to expand...

If excessive speed shortens braking distances, wouldn't that be a good thing? :unsure:
 
56 day driving ban??? That's it? It will probably take him that long to get his vehicle back. If he can afford that Lambo $2300 in fines aren't going to hurt him too much.
 
fiasconva said:
56 day driving ban??? That's it? It will probably take him that long to get his vehicle back. If he can afford that Lambo $2300 in fines aren't going to hurt him too much.
Click to expand...
The fines should be based on a percentage of the value of the vehicle, with repeat offenders having the vehicle sent to the scrap yard. (But I'm feeling a bit grumpy today.)
 
So this allegedly happened in January and they're just getting around to censuring him. No one was injured.

I wonder how many wealthy taxpayers in GB are a drain on their Nation. If he can afford a Lamborghini, he's probably giving 60% of his income to the Crown...
He'll pay the pittance and hire a chauffeur.

I'd move to Germany, where I could cruise the Autobahn. :cool:
 
Louisville, KY has stiffened up their laws regarding street takeovers, drag racing and other antics with vehicles. They seize violators' rides and arrest the drivers. They've seized a lot of Dodge muscle cars lately. I seems to have had some impact. On another topic, I've noticed that some apparently wealthy owners of Cadillac, Lexus, BMW and other expensive rides seem to drive as if they are privileged, by speeding, weaving in and out of traffic, tailgating, etc.
 
s&wchad said:
So this allegedly happened in January and they're just getting around to censuring him. No one was injured.

I wonder how many wealthy taxpayers in GB are a drain on their Nation. If he can afford a Lamborghini, he's probably giving 60% of his income to the Crown...
He'll pay the pittance and hire a chauffeur.

I'd move to Germany, where I could cruise the Autobahn. :cool:
Click to expand...
Just don't tailgate anyone. They put two marks on the lanes and if you are within the two marks then you can get fined based on your net worth. In the case I read about that fine was $35,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
If you want to drive that fast, go to a track. Don't risk other's lives for your personal fun. Idiots!
 
LVSteve said:
Not to hijack the other driving threads, I thought y'all would be interested to see this. Guy gets pinched for doing double the 70 limit, resulting in:

Seizure of the vehicle;

56 day driving ban;

$2300 in fines.

I've no clue what the costs are to recover a seized vehicle as those kinds of laws came in after I left.

www.bbc.com

Ban for Colchester Lamborghini driver caught doing 140mph

Fred McKennon was clocked by officers doing speed checks, say police.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
Click to expand...
That's almost as bad as what the law does to you over there if you get caught mis-gendering somebody at work or on the internet.
Socialist Idiots!
 
140 mph? Ouch. That's automatic arrest and jail time in my jurisdiction.

I'm not saying I haven't done 120 mph. Okay, 130. But it was just for a bit.

Tinted windows? Where I live, people have illegal window tint to hide the other illegal stuff they are doing (playing with their cellphones). The mfr.s know this, so the cars come from the from the factory with the illegal tint.
 
Phenix said:
That's almost as bad as what the law does to you over there if you get caught mis-gendering somebody at work or on the internet.
Socialist Idiots!
Click to expand...
I am going to guess that you have never lived in a place where anti-social behavior with cars takes place, including street takeovers and the like. I do, and seizure of a vehicle under such circumstances and the one linked in my OP seems fair enough to me. I would equate driving 140 mph with other cars about with walking down a crowded street waving loaded 1911 at people while tapping the side of a competition weight trigger with the safety off. One slip up and things are going to go badly.

I can assure you that my driver training in the UK barely prepared me for driving at the legal limit on the public road, let alone double it. I'd be very surprised if the perp in this case had ever been on a high speed driving course for the public highway. That's generally the reserve of the LE Class 1 drivers out of the Hendon training center, or wherever it's done these days. People can say "I've done club racing" or "I've done a bunch of track days" all they want, none of that is applicable to the public road, especially in the UK with its traffic density and road conditions. I happen to know the stretch of road where this guy got pinched, and driving along there at that speed was major league dumb.
 
New Mexico had vehicle forfeiture, but...

City to return man's Chevy Chevelle nearly a decade after it was seized in Albuquerque


New Mexico .gov and law enforcement, corruption is thy name.
 
LVSteve said:
I am going to guess that you have never lived in a place where anti-social behavior with cars takes place, including street takeovers and the like. I do, and seizure of a vehicle under such circumstances and the one linked in my OP seems fair enough to me. I would equate driving 140 mph with other cars about with walking down a crowded street waving loaded 1911 at people while tapping the side of a competition weight trigger with the safety off. One slip up and things are going to go badly.

I can assure you that my driver training in the UK barely prepared me for driving at the legal limit on the public road, let alone double it. I'd be very surprised if the perp in this case had ever been on a high speed driving course for the public highway. That's generally the reserve of the LE Class 1 drivers out of the Hendon training center, or wherever it's done these days. People can say "I've done club racing" or "I've done a bunch of track days" all they want, none of that is applicable to the public road, especially in the UK with its traffic density and road conditions. I happen to know the stretch of road where this guy got pinched, and driving along there at that speed was major league dumb.
Click to expand...
I would agree that anyone driving 140 mph in most situations is beyond stupid and careless. I have driven a fair amount in Germany, Belgium, and Holland years ago when I was over there in the military. First few times were pretty scary, particularly on the German autobahn, where some stretches had no speed limit. I also discovered that my careful and courteous driving was seen as a sign of weakness, and Germans would pass and cut in front of me so close that their tail lights would only be 3 to 5 feet from my headlights when they crossed over into my lane ahead of me-and me driving 80 to 90 mph at that! On a 3 lanes each way highway, driving in the middle lane, we could be going 80-plus mph and have cars and semi's passing us on both sides like we were puttering along at 40.
One of the interesting things I noticed was that while the Belgians seemed to drive about as fast and aggressively as the Germans, they weren't quite as good at it. More wrecks in Belgium.
 
Phenix said:
One of the interesting things I noticed was that while the Belgians seemed to drive about as fast and aggressively as the Germans, they weren't quite as good at it. More wrecks in Belgium.
Click to expand...
German driver training requirements and their test are about the strictest in Europe. I think it was Germany where at one time if you failed the driving test three times, the state decided that driving was not for you, ever.

The Finns have an extremely demanding driver training regime, requiring time on the skid pan and supervised night driving. Even when you pass your test, your initial license is restricted in certain ways. I believe the restrictions and their duration are affected by how old you are, too. Many have pushed for something similar in the UK in recent years, calling it "graduated licensing", I think. One plan was something like pass your test at 17, fine, but you cannot take more than one passenger under 21 until you have had your license for two years.

Thinking back to when I learned to drive, this probably is a good idea. The UK driving test takes place entirely in the urban environment, therefore so does most driver training. Whether the UK test still contains some of the particular maneuvers like the three-point turn and reversing around a corner I cannot say. How you were required to control the vehicle in those evolutions would leave many here shaking their heads, I'm sure.
 
When I lived in Belgium I read about a guy that had been stopped for a first offense DUI and was fined several 1000 dollars and lost his license for a year.
Since his wife also used the car she was allowed to drive it but the plates were tagged with large orange stickers indicating that the car had been involved in some kind of traffic incident which allowed the cops to stop it at anytime to see who was driving.
To prove how incredibly stupid he was the guy drove it one night while he was under suspension, got drunk and cause an accident that injured the other driver.
This time the court fine was 10s of 1000s of dollars and his privilege to drive any motorized vehicle, even a scooter, was permanently revoked.
 
Phenix said:
I would agree that anyone driving 140 mph in most situations is beyond stupid and careless. I have driven a fair amount in Germany, Belgium, and Holland years ago when I was over there in the military. First few times were pretty scary, particularly on the German autobahn, where some stretches had no speed limit. I also discovered that my careful and courteous driving was seen as a sign of weakness, and Germans would pass and cut in front of me so close that their tail lights would only be 3 to 5 feet from my headlights when they crossed over into my lane ahead of me-and me driving 80 to 90 mph at that! On a 3 lanes each way highway, driving in the middle lane, we could be going 80-plus mph and have cars and semi's passing us on both sides like we were puttering along at 40.
One of the interesting things I noticed was that while the Belgians seemed to drive about as fast and aggressively as the Germans, they weren't quite as good at it. More wrecks in Belgium.
Click to expand...
If you're driving less than 100mph on the open stretches of the Autobahn you're suppose to stay in the slow lane. :)
 
LVSteve said:
The Finns have an extremely demanding driver training regime, requiring time on the skid pan and supervised night driving. Even when you pass your test, your initial license is restricted in certain ways. I believe the restrictions and their duration are affected by how old you are, too. Many have pushed for something similar in the UK in recent years, calling it "graduated licensing", I think. One plan was something like pass your test at 17, fine, but you cannot take more than one passenger under 21 until you have had your license for two years.
Click to expand...

Where I grew up, we had 1) Leaner's Permit, 2) Junior License, 3) Full License. With Driver's Ed, you could get Full License at 17 instead of 18.
 
From watching a lot of British TV, it is apparent that they have cameras everwhere, including on lonely highways. Speeding gets clocked on the cameras, and you get a summons. In my humble opinion, anyone caught driving 140 on a public highway should be jailed for a few months, at least, and lose their license for years. It is an arrogant and obnoxious disregard for the safety and lives of others, and shows that the are too emotionally immature to drive.
 
Wife and I returned recently from a trip to the UK. We were always concerned that we'd be cited for driving too slow……..
 
fordson said:
Wife and I returned recently from a trip to the UK. We were always concerned that we'd be cited for driving too slow……..
Click to expand...
Quite likely on two-lane A and B roads. Locals "know the road", and Brits typically drive corners nearer the cornering potential of their cars whether they can see or not. It's the only way to get anywhere in a reasonable time in some parts of the country. Passengers that don't like it are free to ask to leave at the next bus stop. Cars sold there are expected to handle and brake well, and nobody bats an eye at getting through tires in 30k miles or less. Brits have three priorities when it comes to tires, cornering grip, traction grip, and braking grip. All other considerations are a long way down the needs list.
 
LVSteve said:
Quite likely on two-lane A and B roads. Locals "know the road", and Brits typically drive corners nearer the cornering potential of their cars whether they can see or not.
Click to expand...

Here's a completely off-topic comment: The cars are better in Europe, maybe in the UK, too. I mean the cheap-o sub-compacts and bottom of the line stuff. Like a Ford Fiesta for the EU market handles better than a Ford Fiesta for the USDM. I rented a Renault Clio in France and a Fiat 124 sedan in Italy. Both were noticeably better handling cars that their US equivalents.

Okay, you can go back to the topic now.
 
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