UK: Camera Issues 800 MPH Speeding Ticket

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12/10/2005

UK: Camera Issues 800 MPH Speeding Ticket
Greater Manchester, UK police sent a letter to a retiree claiming they had evidence he exceeded the speed limit by 770 MPH.

A speed camera in Manchester, UK issued a ticket accusing Adalat Khan, 73, of driving 800 MPH in a 30 MPH zone. Khan, a retiree, received a letter from the police claiming they had photographic and video evidence of his supersonic offense. Khan denies traveling beyond the speed of sound, which is approximately 750 MPH at sea level.

A test by the BBC's Top Gear television program used a TVR Tuscan S automobile to prove that a speed camera could not capture a vehicle traveling more than 170 MPH.

After Khan appealed to prove his innocence, the Greater Manchester Police dropped charges saying, "This was an isolated incident" and blaming it on an "input error."

"These errors might seem amusing, but what if the error had been just a few miles per hour?" asked Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign. "How would a member of the public prove their innocence? Any error at all with legal evidence gives great cause for concern. Clearly the camera partnership are not competent to issues tickets with evidence 'beyond a reasonable doubt.'"

Article Excerpt:

Mr Khan, a newsagent from Openshaw, added: "I was very worried when I opened the letter from the police. I knew I had been driving on the road in question at the time they said, but I knew I hadn't been speeding."

Source: 800mph - police accuse supersonic driver (Manchester Evening News (UK), 12/10/2005)

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