More Than 2,000 Motorists Were Caught Speeding In Excess Of 100mph In 2014-2015

2,169 motorists were clocked in 2014-2015 speeding in excess of 100mph.  These figures come from 42 of the UK’s 45 police forces.  Police were asked to give information for the 2014-2015 financial year on the number of recorded incidents where the motorist was travelling at a speed over 100mph.  Most of these motorists were travelling in cars, but some of them were on motorbikes.  The highest recorded speed was 156mph in a 70mph limit by a footballer in his BMW M4 coupe.  He was fined £1,400 and received a 6 month disqualification from driving.  Out of the 2,169 motorists who were caught speeding, 152 were caught going at 120mph or faster, while 43 were exceeding 130mph.  In relation to the group whose speed exceeded 130mph a quarter were BMW cars or motorbikes.

According to the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) in Berkshire, people who travel at very high speeds tend to fall into one of two groups.  Firstly, there are young men who are so-called “boy racers”.  However, another group has been identified as men in their forties and fifties, who drive expensive cars, and whose work leads them to travel great distances.  Dr Shaun Helman, Head of Transport Psychology at TRL, said “modern cars are very good at protecting you from the wind noise and the road noise and all the things that tell you that you are going fast, and as a result people lull themselves into this false sense of security.”

Currently, police tend to ignore speeds which are not more than 10% plus 2mph over the speed limit.  Therefore, if someone is travelling at 35mph or less in a 30mph limit, or at 68mph or less in a 60mph, or 79mph or less in a 70mph limit, they will not normally be pursued.

If you were caught speeding then 3 to 6 penalty points can be imposed on your driving licence.  If the magistrates choose not to put penalty points on your driving licence then they have to disqualify you for as long as they see fit.  Even if the magistrates do impose penalty points this could still result in a driving ban if you end up accumulating 12 penalty points or more on your driving licence.  In those cases the magistrates have to disqualify you for at least 6 months unless exceptional hardship is successfully argued.  At Speeding Law Solicitors, Philip Hatvany, a leading motoring law specialist solicitor, has over a 95% success rate at arguing exceptional hardship and thereby saving people’s driving licences.

If you find yourself facing a speeding allegation, or indeed any motoring offence, call Mr Hatvany now for a FREE consultation on FREEPHONE 0800 9098110.