A KwaZulu-Natal speedster who was caught doing 254km/h near Scottburgh on the south coast while rushing to a party was arrested and released on R3,000 bail.
According to the traffic officer who gave chase, the man was travelling with a woman in a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.
Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) officer Timothy Simpson, 56, said he and his colleague were on the N2 near Ellingham, northbound, when they caught the Mercedes on camera on Saturday.
He said the driver was, however, travelling on the southbound lane, and they were alerted by the loud engine.
Simpson said the car was followed by a speeding Porsche.
“He was doing 254km/h, but we couldn’t get the speed of the Porsche. We chased the vehicle, which continued to drive at high speed for about 15km before stopping. At the time, we were behind it and trying to stop the car. I was driving a Golf 6 GTi, and I managed to chase it until it stopped.
“We noticed that the vehicle didn’t have a front number plate, and we found out that it was not registered. The driver first blamed the woman passenger, saying she was driving. Eventually, he did own up and apologised,” said Simpson.
Simpson said the man claimed he was on his way to a party in Margate, on the south coast, and “got carried away”. The driver was arrested and taken to the police station, where he was charged with speeding and driving an unregistered vehicle.
Simpson said the driver was released on R3,000 bail and was due back in court on April 19.
Simpson said the Porsche driver was charged for not having a front number plate.
He said the reason they could record his speed was that they had a camera.
“People speed these days, and it’s normal. A few weeks ago, we fought a guy who was driving at 191km/h, and he was given a fine of R20,000. It’s an ongoing thing, throughout my years as a traffic officer I’ve given chase often when people just refuse to stop.”
Simpson urged people to avoid speeding as it put people’s lives at risk.
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KZN man held for driving at 254km/h, tries to blame woman passenger
Image: 123RF
A KwaZulu-Natal speedster who was caught doing 254km/h near Scottburgh on the south coast while rushing to a party was arrested and released on R3,000 bail.
According to the traffic officer who gave chase, the man was travelling with a woman in a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.
Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) officer Timothy Simpson, 56, said he and his colleague were on the N2 near Ellingham, northbound, when they caught the Mercedes on camera on Saturday.
He said the driver was, however, travelling on the southbound lane, and they were alerted by the loud engine.
Simpson said the car was followed by a speeding Porsche.
“He was doing 254km/h, but we couldn’t get the speed of the Porsche. We chased the vehicle, which continued to drive at high speed for about 15km before stopping. At the time, we were behind it and trying to stop the car. I was driving a Golf 6 GTi, and I managed to chase it until it stopped.
“We noticed that the vehicle didn’t have a front number plate, and we found out that it was not registered. The driver first blamed the woman passenger, saying she was driving. Eventually, he did own up and apologised,” said Simpson.
Simpson said the man claimed he was on his way to a party in Margate, on the south coast, and “got carried away”. The driver was arrested and taken to the police station, where he was charged with speeding and driving an unregistered vehicle.
Simpson said the driver was released on R3,000 bail and was due back in court on April 19.
Simpson said the Porsche driver was charged for not having a front number plate.
He said the reason they could record his speed was that they had a camera.
“People speed these days, and it’s normal. A few weeks ago, we fought a guy who was driving at 191km/h, and he was given a fine of R20,000. It’s an ongoing thing, throughout my years as a traffic officer I’ve given chase often when people just refuse to stop.”
Simpson urged people to avoid speeding as it put people’s lives at risk.
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Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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