UK Driver Sentenced For Driving 172 MPH

This poor fellow borrowed his new (and now former) employers' Porsche 911 turbo and just let her rip. He set a new record for fastest speed recorded by the police for a car on British roads.

The police were already handing out a ticket for some other fellow driving 115 mph. I'd think that was a big enough catch for one day (do people regularly drive that fast here in the the U.S.?).

PC Peter Billingham, who was carrying out checks with a speed gun, discovered that the Porsche was travelling at 172mph - 77 metres a second. PC Mark Gulliford, stationed further down the dual carriageway, stepped out on to the road and raised his hand, and Brady slammed on his brakes. The car wobbled along for 681 metres before the heavy braking paid off.

I've actually seen that done on Pacific Coast Highway, and it takes guts to walk out into lanes, put your hand up, and hope that the oncoming car stops. That's just crazy. Honestly, I'm impressed that this guy didn't just go around the police officer.

The judge called the driver "criminally self-indulgent," sentenced him to 10 weeks imprisonment, forfeiture of his license for three years, and payment of costs amounting to around $1000.

posted by Gabriel Malor at 02:32 AM

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