Sometimes, someone gets caught driving so fast that you don’t need context to understand just how reckless they were. Like one British traffic cop who was recently caught driving 154 mph. And while that kind of thing would probably get brushed under the rug in the U.S., apparently, in the UK, cops actually face consequences. Who knew?
The BBC reports that in January of this year, Police Constible Adam Smith was caught speeding on the A1(M) near Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire. Initially, he was caught going 98 mph but was later clocked doing a full 154 mph. None of the news sources we saw included the speed limit at the time, but it appears to be 70 mph. Even if it had been 75 mph, though, 154 mph would still be more than double the legal limit.
To make matters worse, PC Smith appears to have experience working in traffic safety. Yorkshire police have been working to combat street racing, and in October, three months before he was caught speeding, he recorded a video where he told residents that “this is Selby not Silverstone.” Apparently, though, he just figured the law didn’t actually apply to him, and he was free to drive as fast as dangerously as he wanted.
To his credit, though, at his recent misconduct hearing, Smith didn’t blame his reckless driving on some mysterious invisible hand controlling his accelerator and admitted there was “no policing purpose” for his actions. Chief Constable Tim Forber called PC Smith’s actions “totally unjustifiable,” saying his actions could “significantly undermine” public confidence in the cops.
Forber fired Smith and placed him on the College of Policing Barred list, something the U.S. could definitely use, along with literally any cop facing the consequences for any of their actions.
“This speed was manifestly excessive, totally unjustifiable, and this is an entirely different case than an officer or member of the public who is prosecuted for speeding by a moderate amount due to a failure in concentration,” Forber said in the hearing. “Accordingly, the only outcome which is appropriate in these circumstances is dismissal without notice.”