172mph
Posted: Mon 24 September, 2007 Filed under: Cynicism, Thoughts 4 Comments »I find that I’m completely infuriated by the 10-week jail sentence handed down today to the man clocked at 172mph in Oxford – the fastest speed recorded by the UK police. Now OK, he also got banned from driving for three years, and will have to take an extended driving test before he’s allowed back on the road – but all the same, is it really a fitting punishment?
Personally, I don’t think so. Particularly when you see that most of the media are focussing on just the 10-week jail sentence, which makes it look like that’s all that the stupid git got.
Now, if I were caught speeding at over 100mph, I’d fully expect to be given a ban, and a big fine. If it were significantly over that 100mph, I’d expect either a *huge* ban, *huge* fine, and potentially jail. After all, I know the speed limit, and if I insist on not “just” breaking it, but smashing it completely, then that’s my choice and I have to accept the consequences.
But a 10 week jail sentence? It’s not exactly a significant deterrent, is it? Particularly when you think that with parole, the twat will be out in five or six weeks. The three-year ban is more of a deterrent, but it’s not really any more than he’d have got for speeding at, for example, 110mph. I don’t know, maybe I’m missing something – but the entire sentence just seems a bit paltry for the speed, and size of the offence.
Ah, you see, he didn’t kill anyone – though it’s a wonder, to be honest.
You would really expect a three year ban for travelling at 110mph? It would be much less than that, weeks rather than months.
As for the sentence; I’m not sure really, I see lots of dangerous driving which isn’t speeding and lots of speeding which isn’t dangerous. I suppose nobody could really argue that doing 172 on a public road isn’t dangerous though.
I feel that the drink driving sentences are odd too; if you are caught driving over the limit then you’ll probably get a fine and a ban, but if you kill someone while doing it then you’ll be in jail for a long time. It seems that it’s all down to luck in the end.
BBC news made him out to be a hero. World record. Recreated the view from the driver’s seat. (Now they’ll all be doing it, of course.) We are ruled by idiots.
Quite honestly Steve, yeah, I’d expect a long ban for driving at 40 or 50mph above the posted limit. Perhaps that’d actually be a decent deterrent, rather than 70+ days, which appears to be what it is.