'Overheating made me speed'

2007-02-18 14:20

Johannesburg - Car chases, mechanical problems and fatigue were offered as excuses by 11 speedsters caught travelling at up to double the legal limits on Ekurhuleni roads over the weekend.

"My car is overheating so I had to speed, so that before anything happens I am home," a 40-year-old man caught driving a Mazda MX-6 at 148km/h in a 70km/h zone in Kempton Park told Ekurhuleni metro police.

A 43-year-old man in a BMW caught driving at 181km/h in a 120km/h zone in Germiston claimed he was being chased. "... But funnily enough we couldn't find those people," said metro police spokesman Inspector Jimmy Maboko.

Of the 11 arrests, four were in a 70km/h zone on the Old Pretoria road in Kempton Park on Friday night, and seven in a 120km/h zone on the N3 near the Geldenhuys interchange, Germiston, on Sunday morning.

All would face charges of reckless or negligent driving.

A 26-year-old woman caught driving a Volvo at 147km/h in Kempton Park told metro police she was "rushing home".

A 36-year-old man was caught travelling on the same road at 139km/h in a Mazda bakkie and another man, no age given, in a Volkswagen Jetta at 135km/h. Neither gave a reason for speeding.

All of the arrests in Germiston were of men and all were driving at least 60km/h over the speed limit, said Maboko.

A 22-year-old man travelling at 181km/h in a BMW told police "he was tired and just rushing home," while a 23-year-old man driving at 189km/h in an Opel Corsa claimed he was on his way to meet his pregnant partner.

A 26-year-old man driving a BMW at 188km/h told police he was just in a hurry to get home.

No reasons for speeding were given by a 19-year-old man clocked at 191km/h in a Volkswagen Jetta, a 21-year-old man at 185km/h in a Volkswagen Polo, and a 31-year-old man at 184km/h in a Mercedes-Benz.

They were granted bail of R1 000 each and would appear in magistrate's courts in Kempton Park and Germiston on Monday, said Maboko.

- SAPA