Driver Who Blamed Dog For Speeding Is Jailed

A man who blamed his dog for sitting on the pedals when he was caught driving at nearly 100mph in a 30mph zone has been jailed for 13 months.

Jordan Winn told police his Staffordshire bull terrier was in the footwell of his Volvo S60 sitting on the accelerator pedal last October.

Winn was spotted by a police officer in Chester-le-Street who then set off in pursuit.

Footage played in court showed the police car reached 88mph in an attempt to catch up with Winn over a mile stretch. The officer estimated Winn must have been driving at close to 100mph.

His Volvo could then be seen braking hard and turning right, just missing an oncoming car which had two adults and two children in it.

Winn admitted dangerous driving at a previous hearing, During sentencing at Durham Crown Court, the judge said "You advanced an utterly ludicrous account on which you were to insist for over a year. You told the police officer the reason you drove in that manner is because the dog that was in your vehicle was jumping around and became trapped beneath your foot."

That claim was dismissed at the previous hearing, known as a trial of issue.

Sentencing the 23-year-old, the judge said he would be failing the public if he did not immediately jail him.

"Your driving was extremely dangerous and it is just a matter of pure good fortune that nobody was seriously injured or killed during what was I am quite sure a police pursuit."

The judge said he was not being punished for the "ludicrous defence" he put forward, but for the potential harm he caused to others.

Sat-navs ‘Telling Drivers to Speed’ on West Norfolk Road

The casualty reduction manager for Norfolk County Council - Ian Temperton, has claimed that satnavs are responsible for speeding on the A17 near Terrington St Clement. Three people have died on the single carriageway road in recent years.

Temperton says that satnavs report a 70mph speed limit whilst the actual is 60mph.

He adds "Satnavs, while undoubtedly a great boon, are not infallible. They are sometimes inaccurate and won't always have the most up-to-the-minute information on things like new road lay-outs and temporary speed limits."

Representing satnav companies, the general secretary of Intelligent Transport Systems, Jenny Martin, reportedly argued that it was up to the Highways Agency to update the speed limit information.

Source

Guy Who Stood On McLaren To Pay £300 In Damages

This is an old news item that ive found wey back from July 2014 but it bypassed us so incase some of you hadn't seen it.....

Some bright spark had himself pictured while standing on top of a white McLaren 12C. The 17 year old was tracked down and awarded a £300 fine and a rehabilitation order.  The fact that he had caused £11,000 worth of damage however meant that the owner had to pick up the rest of the hefty bill to cover the damage.

Source http://thesupercarkids.com

Man Accused of Speeding in Porsche Walks Free From Court After Error by Crown Prosecution Service

After being accused of speeding in a Porsche Cayman on January 4 this year, Michael John Dougan from Cheltenham walked free from court following a paperwork error by the Crown Prosecution Service.

On April 9 Mr Dougan denied breaking the 70mph limit in a Porsche Cayman at Dartley Bottom, near Daglingworth but he did not stand trial because the prosecution was forced to offer no evidence, after magistrates refused its request for an adjournment.

Graham Dono, prosecuting,  said it was not possible to call the witness, a camera offense progression officer, because she was not at work on the day of the trial.

A CPS spokesperson said after the case: “We acknowledge that on this occasion our handling of the case fell below the standards required by the court. We will be looking closely at the process to ensure that lessons are learned where appropriate.”

Salt-Water Powered Car Approved In Europe

The Quant made its debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show (pictured) in March, the saltwater technology has now been certified for use on European roads.

The main highlights of this salt water powered vehicle are as follows:

• The car uses a saltwater flow cell system to power four electric motors
•  Quant e-Sport limousine's top speed is 217mph - equal to a McLaren P1
• Two 200-litre water tanks can provide a range of 373 miles (600km)
• The four-seater is 5.25 meters (0.4ft) long and 2.2 meters wide (7.2ft)
• Price and sale date yet to be confirmed, but may cost more than £1m

Nanoflowcell AG is the company behind the design, and they are currently preparing the technology for mass production. They say that they have got major plans, and not just within the automobile industry. The potential of the NanoFlowcell is much greater, especially in terms of domestic energy supplies as well as in maritime, rail and aviation technology.

SIEMENS (SAFE ZONE) CAMERAS

 Overview
Safezone is now Home Office type approved and can be deployed in cities, towns, villages or on urban and inner urban roads.  It is basically an Average Speed Monitoring system based on the ANPR (Automatic number plate recognition) technology.

Safezone has been designed to be used for 24/7 enforcement and covers speeds from 20mph to 140mph.  It supports multi-lane and multi entry/exit points meaning it can be used for all types of highway scenarios.  

Key components of Safezone:

• The cameras are based on ANPR technology for capturing vehicle data.
• It can be used to enforce short distances in villages and around schools as well as motorways, duel carriageways and also in road works.
• Enforces speed limits from 20mph – 140mph.
• Can be installed on existing street furniture such as telegraph poles.
• Was first trialled on Springdale Road in Poole, Dorset and is now being rolled used in Milton Ernest, Bedfordshire.