On this day in 1896, one Mr. Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent, England, earned himself a place in the history books as the first individual to be convicted of speeding. Actually, Arnold had committed a few offenses: he was driving at eight miles an hour, six more than legally allowed, and he did not have a man with a red flag walking in front of the car as the law required at the time. That’s in clear and plain language. Here’s the actual rundown of charges brought upon him:
- Utilization of a locomotive without a horse.
- Having fewer than three persons in charge of the same.
- Speeding, driving more than two miles an hour.
- Not having his name and address on the vehicle.
For his trouble, he was fined a combined total of about four pounds Sterling, with the actual speeding charge netting a fine of one shilling (1/2oth of a pound) for the charge and nine shillings for the court costs. Was it worth it? Considering that Arnold was an early form of a car dealer and car manufacturer at the same time, he might have made a brilliant calculation, using the press from the case to further his business ideals.
I wish I could’ve used the same kind of logic with my speeding tickets. Luckily, according to my record, there are none…Colorado expunges after you turn 21, and in Texas, you can go to a driver’s class for a minor traffic ticket to keep it off of your record. Not that I shouldn’t have a ticket on my list, but the one time the cops would’ve had my ass in a sling, they had to instead drop everything for a medical case. They had my ass dead-to-rights: well over the limit, construction, school zone. They could’ve hung me out to dry. But they pulled me over in front of my grandfather’s house, and I swear someone up above was looking out for an idiot like me, because just as Officer Friendly was about to start scouring me like steel wool, my grandfather stepped out of the front door in the middle of Cardiac Event #6. Kind of hard to write a ticket when he had to switch gears and become an impromptu EMT.
Since then, I’ve had a warning here and there, but for the most part I drive calmly and collectedly, a far cry from my teenage days where every right-hand turn deserved a spinning tire. What speeding ticket story do you have? Surely you have done better than not using a horse with your form of locomotion…
My Dad even got a speeding ticket in the late ’50s. The Team Valley Trading Estate was under construction and there were miles of new roads where everybody went on a Sunday to see how fast their cars could go. There was a huge advertising hoarding on the main road and behind it was a police car. So all those speed freaks were easy meat and my Dad was clocked at 60mph in his flathead powered Ford Pilot. That must have been why he never went above 25mph for years afterwards. Apparently well over 100 drivers were done for speeding that weekend and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the on the spot fines went into the copper’s pockets!
HWY PATROL GAME SHOW HOST WANTA BE…..Was just in Alaska this past summer. With almost no traffic from Fairbanks down to Denali Park I’ve got the ole rental car moving pretty good (95-100) where I safely can as I try to get back to our hotel before the animals take over the road at night. As I slow approaching an oncoming curve here comes an almost extinct (for budget reasons) AK State Patrolman. Lucky for me I’ve slowed down to 87 as I approach the curve. He immediately turns on the Blue Bulbs as he sees me. I pull off the road safely, he comes up and looks at my license and in an almost game show host rendition he says “Congratulations Mr. Phil, You are my Fastest Speeder Today” He was very nice, wrote me a ticket “Without Wreckless” and told me to have a nice day………..
Was about 1985, was out cruising in my 71 340 4spd Dodge Demon. Got pulled over by a cop. I had an outstanding ticket for loitering (another cruising infraction) and told my buddy who was with me that I was going to jail. Just then they got a call for a nearby home invasion and had to leave. Was so sorry to see them leave.
I was a newly-minted driver at age 16, a couple of weeks into it I was rolling along at 25 mph in my 61 Starliner and got popped…the speed limit on the road was 15 mph. I received a summons to appear at the Juvenile Hall for a hearing (consultation) since that’s how they handled juvenile drivers at the time. My father had laid down the rules that the first speeding ticket required us to park the car in front of the house for 30 days. We normally parked in the driveway. As I pulled up, parked out front, the old man knew something was up. I already had my license, keys and ticket in hand, walked in and set them on the dining room table. He asked: how fast? I replied 25. And he said 25 over? Nope, 25 in a 15. And then he said…nothing. I was totally humiliated returning to school on Monday without my ride. My appointment at the “Juvie” was almost a month to the day after the ticket. My father and I met with the counselor at the appointed time and she asked me a couple of questions about the infraction and I related what I thought we my lessons learned. I mentioned that our family (Dad’s) policy was 30 days at the curb for the car as well as license confiscation for the first infraction. She thought that was an appropriate punishment and well beyond anything she would have imposed. The take-away from that has stayed with me since, and I can report in nearly 50 years of driving since…Zero, none, nada, zilch tickets. Life changing!
102 in a 45, that’s all I’m gonna say other than I was out in front.
100 in a 65 in the middle of Kansas on highway 70 about 2 in the morning heading back to Denver. I was in a rental car that had a fuel shutoff at 118mph which I know because I tested it more than once. I was the only car on the highway when suddenly headlights and the flashing colors we all know showed up in the center divider.
Wife and I came upon a state trooper driving exactly 54mph in the left lane. After following behind him in the right lane for an agonizing 30min or so, wife decided to set the cruise at 55mph and slowly but surely overtake him and get on down the highway. Once we got ahead of him by about 10 car lengths we though all was well. Then he flipped on his lights and pulled us over, chewed my wife out for passing him and wrote her a speeding ticket for 56mph in a 55mph zone.
In the early sixties, it’s 1.00 AM and I was in a hurry to get to my girlfriends house, for you know what, and had my 301 4speed 55 chev wound pretty tight. In those days there was no radar so the cops laid two rubber hoses across the road that somehow gave them you speed. As I said I was on it when at the last minute I saw the hoses and I slammed on the brakes. No ABS so I went over the hoses locked up. I figured the cop had me so I just stopped. Well he was pissed he told me I was well over 100 but his machine didn’t record the speed because my wheels locked on the hoses ripped them out of the pavement. He tore a strip off me but let me go because I had flat spotted all my tires and adding a ticket didn’t seem right to him. No ticket but a great memory
I fiqured I was done, it
136 in a 65 was my high score and the one that I ended up loaning my license to the state for 90 days.
Does it count on a pushbike? 42mph in a 30 but it was down a really steep hill after getting a tow from a car at the start
Starkville Miss.. downhill on a ten speed tandem, bicycle.. 32 in a 25.. we framed it and put it on the wall in the bicycle shop where I worked..
in much later life: Out early one quiet Sunday morning on my scooter (1987 Honda Hurricane) as I entered the interstate just outside of town, a really nice looking lady zipped by in a Porsche.. I figured I needed another look so …zip.. then I saw the Mustang (Fox body SSP) on the shoulder about a half mile ahead.. On came the blue bulbs.. When I pulled off my helmet, he saw that I was an old fart and I got quite a lecture. He wrote the ticket for many MPH below what he\’d clocked..
104 in a 75 on the Cimmaron Turnpike in OK. Had swapped the stock 3.27 gears for 3.73 in my near new ’02 Mustang GT. Worst part was in was an SLP Camaro that stopped me. Officer said “I clocked you @ 104 mph” my reply “that’s odd. My speedometer must be off.” Cruise was set @ 120. $247 ticket in 2001!
Late summer 1979, west bound on I-70 from the Mt. Comfort exit heading toward Indy on my ’78 XLCH after work. I came off the exit doing 80 and nothing was behind me so I just cranked it on a little more and held that til I reached Post Road when I heard the “whooop-whooop” of Officer Friendly’s siren. He jumped outta the car and I’m siittin’ there, he slapped his ticket book on his palm and said “93 in a 70, lemme see yer license and registration ! ! !” He said he’d been behind me for a mile, but my mirrors were vibrating so bad that I couldn’t see in them. He gave me the ticket and cut me loose reminding me to “be careful out here, these semis’ll run over ya” My parting thought was “not if I’m going 93.”
That was a six point ticket and added to the one I’d gotten in my girlfriends truck three months earlier put me on ‘drive to work only’ status for 90 days and cost $150.
Needless to say, the relationship between me and the Indiana DMV was somewhat strained in the late 70’s, but I was never suspended.
Not a speeding ticket but memorable nonetheless:
Location : Air Force base housing area
Me: 16 fearless and brainless
Ticket: “Reckless Driving, inattention to driving, and driving with head and both arms out of window”
Dad (Full Col, USAF) was not pleased.
Driving from New Orleans to Gainesville Fl for the Gatornats in the early ’80’s. Always made this run overnight,since there was hardly ever any traffic to deal with at 3 AM. Got lit up around some Bumphuc little,wide spot in the road,pulled over and Buford T. Justice ambles up and asks “where’s the races races,son?” ,to which I replied Gainesville! Took the walk back to his car,complete with improvised spittoon for his chew,and got written up for 107 in a 65. I guess that one and several more may still be on the books,cuz I never paid any of ’em.
Boudreaux and his wife were cruising about 70 in a 55 zone and got pulled over by a state trooper. The trooper asked for his drivers license, registration and proof of insurance. Boudreaux said, what’s the problem young man? The trooper said, I clocked you at 70 in a 55 zone. Boudreaux said, young man that ain’t speeding, everybody goes 70 on this highway, besides you obviously don’t know who I am, my name is Boudreaux and I have alot of political influence in this area. The trooper was getting a bit aggravated and looked across the front seat and said, Mrs. Boudreaux? She said, yes sir. The trooper said, could you explain to your hard headed husband that I need to see his drivers license, registration and proof of insurance because he is going to get a ticket for speeding? Mrs. Boudreaux said, Oh no sir, don’t get me involved with this, I don’t argue with Boudreaux when he’s been drinking.
145 in a 50, verified by Fort Worth Police. Spring 1980. I smacked down two Camaro guys with my T/A, then got lit up. The cops were sitting under a bridge on I-35W north of the city when two Camaros – one black, one gold – running about 120 went by followed by some red blurr running them down. I didn’t see the nice policemen, but we all apparently took them by surprise. I drove around the chevy slackers and led the C-men down close to downtown and then lifted and let them go as my exit was coming up. About 10 seconds after dropping out, I got lit up. Like to died right there. Pulled over immediately. Lead cop gets out and hollers “Do you have any idea how fast you were going?” I said “Yea, about 140.” “More than that, we couldn’t catch up and we can do 140.” “That’s my taxes, you guys should have better cars. I’ll speak to the City Manager.” “Shut up and sit down, we’ll deal with you shortly.” “Yes sir.” “So what the hell is the deal here?” “I’m a Pontiac guy, just kinda had to show those Chevy men their place.” The other guys ran off and they eventually caught one on I-20 nearly to Arlington and the other south of town still on I-35W. I’ve been sitting quietly now for about an hour. Cop 2 keeps with the “not going to be good for you” going all that time. Cop 1 finally comes over and says “Your turn. Your buddies are on the way to jail.” I strongly disclaim knowing those guys. “You pulled right over, you’ve been co-operative. I’m going to do you a big favor.” He writes me up for 100 in a 50. “Any more and they’ll pull your tags. Now friend – I know this car, seen it around. I damn sure know it now. If I see you and you are 1 MPH over any posted limit, I will be all over your ass like stink. You get that?” “YES SIR.” “Git”. “Gone, have a nice evening.” Fine was $80 for the ticket.
Deals Gap Tenn , Tail of the dragon . 300 tight curves in about twenty miles . Driving a BMW Z3 , followed a group of Harleys that where trying to get around the tight corners at about 20mph , So I pull over and wait until I hear another bunch of bikes coming , I then nail it , after a few corners , there stands a deputy ,57 in a 30 , he takes my information and heads to his car , his partner comes over and starts talking , she tells me he will probably give me a warning ticket . That\’s what I got , a letter size , bright yellow ticket with bright red WARNING printed across it . it had day , time , rt number , my info , car info and speed 57 , if you have been on the dragon you know , how cool that ticket is , it is framed and hanging on my wall . best souvenir ever.