'Shameful' driver caught speeding at 163mph on M1 motorway

26 April 2020, 15:25

By Nick Hardinges

@NHardinges

A "selfish" and "shameful" driver has been caught speeding at 163 miles per hour on the M1 motorway in north-west London.

Officers working for the Metropolitan Police's Vision Zero patrols caught the driver flouting the speed limit by almost 100mph on Saturday evening.

The man was stopped at around 5pm near Edgware, north-west London, between Junctions 2 and 3 on the M1.

Detective Superintendent Andy Cox of the Met's Road Safety team said the individual "should be ashamed of himself."

He warned that extreme speeding can have dire consequences, including people dying, losing their licenses or jobs, and impacting the NHS during the Covid-19 crisis.

The speed limit on UK motorways is 70mph, meaning the driver was driving 93mph too fast, or more than double the limit.

The officer told LBC News: "Extreme speeders pose considerable risk to themselves and other road users. 163mph is utterly appalling and the driver should be ashamed of himself.

"A crash at this speed would cause utter devastation to bereaved families left behind or seriously injured victims left permanently disabled.

"These selfish actions have a potential knock-on impact on already stretched emergency services and the NHS. They may also deprive Covid-19 patients of medical care as it is diverted to dealing with crash victims.

"More broadly I urge the public to challenge their family, friends and themselves not to speed and to make speeding socially unacceptable, much in the same way as drink driving is rightly considered.

"Traffic officers are deployed across London 24/7 enforcing speeding offences. Please drive lawfully, stay safe and keep a clean licence."