Fined £1000 for racing at A9

[Dragon]

Only in Scotland...............

Police reach 117mph in A9 chase
AN UNMARKED police car reached speeds of 117mph as it pursued two vehicles up the A9, Perth Sheriff Court heard yesterday.

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2008/08/26/newsstory11867735t0.asp

 

[stevesey]

They were not racing - just going home at the same time

 

[st4]

I know that stretch of road, there is a Gatso Camera on a long straight that would/should Nab them. Its not got massive visibility either so its quite an unsafe spot to gun it.

 

[Dryce]

I know that stretch of road, there is a Gatso Camera on a long straight that would/should Nab them. Its not got massive visibility either so its quite an unsafe spot to gun it.

The A9 is IMHO a lot lot calmer than it used to.

My distant recollection of taking a decent powered bike up and down it on various occasions and not being the fastest vehicle by a huge margin.

 

[st4]

The A9 is IMHO a lot lot calmer than it used to.

My distant recollection of taking a decent powered bike up and down it on various occasions and not being the fastest vehicle by a huge margin.

Have you done the A94, Perth via Cupar Angus upto the junction onto the A90. I love it in my W211 but a fast bike would be awesome on it. Someone @ work hit a 180mph+ on it

The A9 has a very high fatality rate, having redone the junction @ Ballinluig would help. Personally I like the road further up, near Dalwhinnie, but its an accident black spot too.

 

[Adam230K]

A honda civic (assuming not a type R) and a vauxhall nova.... it must've taken them the full 3 miles stretch just to reach that speed.... jeez... when i started off in my astra (was my first car) i think the highest speed i ever did was 80... and i was WELL chuffed...

 

[stevesey]

A honda civic (assuming not a type R) and a vauxhall nova.... it must've taken them the full 3 miles stretch just to reach that speed....

Article seems very carefully worded make no reference to the speed of the two drivers, only the speed the police car achieved is mentioned. Could have been an initial burst get going from a standstill, tailed at a distance for a while and then floored it to catch up and pull them over. Big numbers make better headlines so that seems to be what the press have focused on.

 

[Satch]

Oh how I love to see spurious "evidence" being chucked in to add weight to such cases, not that this one needed it:

"Both appeared to be travelling at excessive speed for the road conditions.

“At this time, the temperature was three degrees above freezing and some patches of snow were still at the side of the road."

So nobody would have been at all bothered had it been a bit warmer?

 

[Dragon]

A9 is a very long road that stretches from Dunblane to Thurso. I lived there for 20 years and it a boring and lonely drive, speed is the only option to keep awake. To get to Aviemore for skiing from Perth, it takes less than an hour. If you don't overtake, you will be following a slow car for miles and for hours. In winter there are fewer cars so you are free to speed. But these guys were unlucky, the fine is higher than the cost of the Corsa.

 

[Dryce]

The A9 has a very high fatality rate, having redone the junction @ Ballinluig would help. Personally I like the road further up, near Dalwhinnie, but its an accident black spot too.

I like the section north of Pitlochry.

The stats on the A9 are not good but not as bad as portrayed. The press and politicians tend to go for the rate per section - which makes it bad. It's a long section of road from Perth to Inverness so the fatality rate per mile isn't so high.

Some of the overtaking manoeuvres you see are despicable.

I wonder if the cost of dualling it wouldn't be better spent on some high res CCTVs and some control gates. Any car seen misbehaving on the CCTVs is diverted into a pound at the control gate - and dealt with.

 

[Dryce]

A
I lived there for 20 years and it a boring and lonely drive, speed is the only option to keep awake.

Dangerous nonsense of the young male bovine variety.

To get to Aviemore for skiing from Perth, it takes less than an hour. If you don't overtake, you will be following a slow car for miles and for hours.

Even the trucks do 55 to 60. There are very few slow vehicles.

In winter there are fewer cars so you are free to speed.

And in winter the road is typically damp and greasy or dry and coated with salt. Not nice to slow down on.

 

[Dryce]

So nobody would have been at all bothered had it been a bit warmer?

I rather think the point being made was that the offence was even worse due to these circumstances.

 

[st4]

. To get to Aviemore for skiing from Perth, it takes less than an hour. .

Erm Perth to Aviemore is >60 miles, its nearer 80 in fact. To do that in less than an hour is very fast and must be seriously speeding.

 

[st4]

I like the section north of Pitlochry.

so do I, scenic views, lovely sweeping turns and goodish visibility. Its a lovely road.

I wonder if the cost of dualling it wouldn't be better spent on some high res CCTVs and some control gates. Any car seen misbehaving on the CCTVs is diverted into a pound at the control gate - and dealt with.

TBH I'll be sad when they dual it, although traffic flow will improve and journey times shorten its a nice sweeping road and a lot of the "magic" will be lost IMO. I don't like the CCTV option very much either. I think Tayside and the Highland Constrabulry patrol it quite visibly, I saw some fast plodd cars on it.

Agreed re the over taking, some of them are a bit hairy.