A driver who was allegedly doing 173mph managed to evade a jail term after prosecutors failed to prove that he was doing such a speed. The defendant was speeding on the A515, and pleaded guilty to dangerous driving for driving a Lotus Elise at 105mph in a 50mph zone.
The result of this law-breaking speed was a £5,000 fine and a two-year driving ban.
Prosecutors insisted that the device police were using at the time – which recorded an actual speed of 173mph – was in fact accurate. Nonetheless, Lotus confirmed in court that their diminutive sports car is capable of a top speed of only 127mph – significantly less.
Is justice served? Well, given that you put other road users at risk when you speed (and significantly at insane speeds like those above), I’m not sure. I do know that I’m worried about police devices that record speed, if they think a Lotus Elise with a 1.8 litre engine is going to max out at more than 173mph!
The driver has since changed his car to a Ferrari – which for the sake of the law we hope stays tucked away in a garage for the next couple of years…
Modified Car Club says
March 22, 2009 at 5:26 pmThis guy deserves murder for what he’s done