IT’S THE NEWS
Silly speed and WIN WIN WIN for you guys!
Not so long ago, a fellow got into a spot of bother speeding. Or, rather, put himself in a giant cauldron of scorching hot water through his own choice. The gentleman in question was recently jailed for two speeding offences (among some other, er, things…), one of which was 47mph in a 30mph zone, the other was vanishing into the distance from a police vehicle that itself was travelling at over 140mph!
The recently jailed chap had also been using false number plates on his machine but, possibly worse, he was seen goading the cops by waving at them before leaving them for dust. The police, who filmed both speeding incidents, eventually backed off because the speeds they were doing to try and catch him were too high, and his was estimated during one chase to be in excess of 180mph. Blimey…
Now, a few decades ago this would have been the kind of thing we’d have (probably, maybe) smiled at, being we were all young, daft and spent most of our time raging against the machine, man. In 2017 however, it’s not something we can condone. But at the same time we won’t condemn, either, because it’s a free (as it can be) world and people are likewise free to make their own choices within it, even stupid ones. The problem we now have with it, and coincidentally the reason the Fuzz backed off, is the potential danger to others.
There’s a moment in the video where the cop car twitches at over 140mph on the motorway. All was well, but an out of control car is tonnes of kinetic trouble once it’s lost. Likewise a bike travelling at silly speed may as well be a wayward Exocet missile if the rider loses it. Be a rebel hero, it’s on your head – but don’t make innocents pay the price. There once was a time when baiting the police was almost a national sport in some areas. An anonymous FB staff member remembers: “Once the lights and sirens went on, that was it, game on! Silly looking back, really, but then there was nothing quite like being chased by the cops and getting away with it, either.
“That being said, it only ever really happened at night when the roads were otherwise empty. We were still very, very stupid though!” Yet these were the days before speed cameras, intelligent recognition systems on cop cars, dash cams or even helicopters – there’s little getting away with it.
Are we now suddenly saints? Nope, of course not, this is Fast
Bikes! But we’re smarter and as we’ve gotten older (a little) more responsible. Of course we still cock about a bit at times, but at the right time and in the right place, and certainly when there’s nobody around that our actions could impact upon. Now is no time to be goading police, either, like the chap you can see in the video here – http://mrtns.uk/coppursuit – as it’ll only end in (hopefully just your) tears. Be smart and responsible, people, this kind of stuff makes us look bad! And for the incarcerated fellow in question, there’s a time and a place. This wasn’t it, and now you’re paying the price…