A motorist has been caught by a speed camera going 149mph on the M25, according to figures released by the police.
The superfast offender was caught on the M25 near Swanley in Kent, but the case was far form an isolated occurrence on British roads.
Police released the figures after a Freedom of Information request by Road safety charity the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), who are calling for a campaign to teach road users about the dangers of speeding.
Most modern care cannot reach speeds around 150mph, but all are capable of breaking the 70mph speed limit on motorways, and less on other roads.
IAM chief executive Simon Best said:
“149 miles per hour equates to nearly two and a half miles in a minute. If anything goes wrong at that speed, you’re unlikely to walk away and you are a grave danger to the innocent road users around you.
Speed limits are a limit. They are not a target to beat. Unfortunately this message has not got through to many motorists and it’s clear that efforts to make speeding as socially unacceptable as drink driving continue to fail. That’s why we need sustained campaigning by the government, motor industry and charities to keep ramming home the message that excessive speed kills. Catching speeders at two or even three times the limit also shows the importance of keeping speed cameras at well-known black spots.”
“The current guidelines on sentencing for excessive speeding offences are out of sync with modern roads, modern vehicles and society’s view of the value of lives lost in crashes. We all share the roads with these speeding drivers and the government must crack down on them with more consistent penalties and tougher measures to break their addiction for speed.”
Worst speeding offenders on each type of road for last 12 months
- 70mph road: 149mph on M25 near Swanley, Kent
- 60mph road: 127mph on the A413 Wendover By-Pass, Wendover
- 50mph road: 119mph on the A414 Stanstead Abbotts, Hertfordshire
- 30mph road: 96mph on the B1288, on Leam Lane, Gateshead
