South Africans caught speeding (REALLY speeding)

[s class]

Link

The first guy was doing 211km/h on the N1 - that's our national highway, and in most places the speed limit is 120, but the area around Grasmere where he was caught is mostly 100, and in some places 80.  Ouch, that fine is going to hurt.

The second guy caught doing 155km/h on Beyers Naude Drive - that's a 60km/h zone not far from where I work. 

If you are caught exceeding the posted limit by more than 40km/h (as these guys were), no so-called admission of guilt fine is payable.  A court appearance is mandatory, and if you are caught at a manned trap (not a camera), there will be an arrest, and time in jail (together with some large, aggressive cellmates)

[Big_Richard]

its basically the same here, though the cut off point is 45km/h over the limit, it then becomes "dangerous/reckless driving"

the figure over 45 is irrelevant, the result is the same, IE 1000$ fine and 6 months loss of licence, as a minimum, and its decided by a magistrate. If your a repeat offender the sentence can be up to 9 months imprisonment, but that's highly unlikely, given our softcock judicial system that usually let people walk home with a slap on the wrist for murder.

[CraigS]

It could be worse - it could be Finland, where speeding fines are determined by income. Here is a link to one such fine. It is 5 years old, but still relevant to theway it works today.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3477285.stm

[s class]

Craig, when I was in Finland, the locals warned me about the fines system, and I was petrified.  The speed limits are generally low, but I generally drove 5km/h under the limit. 

[Big_Richard]

and what do they do for senior citizens on an aged pension, charge $3.50 for going 50 over the limit ?

[CraigS]

Exactly - and students, unemployed, etc. I think the criteria they use is 14 days income. The Nokia boss copped a EUR 116,000 fine for riding his Harley at 25 km/h over the limit.

[adamb]

I got caught going 168 kmh in an 80 kmh zone in Jordan. The road was a 3 lane motorway (in one direction) going through nowhere and the road was dead straight. The speed limit is a complete joke. I managed to get away with a reasonable fine (no prison and no ritual humiliation from police or fellow prisoners) by grovelling to the cops. I was really apologetic. I said how wonderful their country is (which is true) and how wonderful it was to travel on such great roads with so little traffic (true also).  I was much more careful after that as according to all the guide books I should've been detained.