Maserati driver bust doing 245km/h

Published May 30, 2016

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Johannesburg - It’s 7.30am on a Saturday. The roads are clear of vehicles. You’re in a maroon Maserati and something inside you wills you to press the accelerator.

Before you know it, you’re speeding at 245km/h. The kids sitting in the back love this need for speed, until a siren goes off behind you. There are blue lights in your rearview mirror and you realise the Ekurhuleni metro police department have caught you in the act and there’s no place to hide.

Then you come up with an excuse - rushing to get your girlfriend home before the curfew ends, rushing to drop somebody off at the airport, or simply not having paid any attention to the speedometer.

These are just some of the excuses the EMPD had to listen to over the weekend, having stopped motorists driving at speeds of more than 150km/h on the R21 in Olifantsfontein.

Also read: Speeding driver bites metro cop

The top speedster was a man in a Maserati who clocked 245km/h.

“The driver had a 17-year-old and a four-year-old as passengers. He cited rushing to the airport as the reason for excessive speeding,” said EMPD spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Wilfred Kgasago.

The man was detained at Olifantsfontein police station and charged with reckless and negligent driving, he said.

Six other speedsters, including a motorcyclist, were arrested in the 120km/h zone.

“The detained drivers gave reasons ranging from rushing to their destinations to not being aware of the speedometer. Their speeds ranged from 162km/h to 174km/h.”

He added that all the arrested drivers were charged at Olifantsfontein police station with reckless and negligent driving and were later released on bail of R1000 each. They are expected to appear in court this week.

Also read: Taxi driver bust for bribing traffic cop 

Kgasago elaborated on some of the stranger excuses people have used to try to get out of paying a traffic fine.

“Some people say they’re rushing to a funeral or the airport, or that they have to get their girlfriend home before midnight. One of the best was one Saturday around 5.30am, a driver was stopped for speeding and told the officers he had to get to a work meeting. I’m not joking,” Kgasago added.

But none of these excuses have worked, with many of the speedsters having to pay fines of R4000 - R8000 and/or do 20 to 30 hours’ community service.

Kgasago reminded drivers of the lives lost due to accidents caused by speeding as well as the cost to victims and their families.

“There are also heavy financial implications. If a serious accident occurs, roads have to be closed, trucks delivering important goods stopped, and ambulances and medical personnel need to be called.”

The Star

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