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Thursday, May 24 2012

Fast and dangerous: speeding bikers caught on camera

Video: 12 minutes of Kent Police footage of speeding bikers

Speeding bikers have been caught on camera in an adrenalin-fuelled ride through Kent's streets.

Breaking the law, all of those in the video above nudged the speedo above the 100mph mark.

One even cranked up a death-defying 140mph on his Suzuki sports bike.

Now police have released the footage as a warning from their Central Motorcycle Unit that those who flout the law will be convicted.

One moment of madness can lead to a criminal conviction, as the unit's unmarked bikes are fitted with video cameras - leading to a near 100 per cent conviction rate for offences such as dangerous driving, careless driving and speeding.

It has released footage from these cameras in the lead-up to the Margate Meltdown bike festival, in the hopes that it will discourage some of Britain’s more thoughtless bikers from pushing their luck on the county’s roads.

The Margate Meltdown takes place Bank Holiday Monday, and takes riders from London to Margate on the A406, A13, M25, A2, M2 and A299.

About six people are killed on Kent’s roads each month with many more seriously injured.

Head of roads policing Chief Inspector Andy Reeves said: "The unmarked bikes are a significant asset in our drive to tackle dangerous and anti-social use of vehicles, as can be seen from the consistent successful outcomes we see at court."

 


 

Convictions as a result of the video footage above were:

  • Two 46-year-old men from Cambridge Crescent and Hale Road, Maidstone, were each fined £1,750 or 14 days imprisonment. They were banned from the roads for 18 months and ordered to take extended retests to regain their licences. The men were convicted of dangerous driving by travelling at speeds of up to 127mph and carrying out dangerous overtaking manoeuvres whilst riding with pillion passengers on the A20 between Harrietsham and Charing in May 2008. They were convicted in January 2009 at Maidstone Crown Court
  • A 37-year-old man from Cork Street, Eccles, was given a one-year community order to perform 100 hours' unpaid work. He was also disqualified for 12 months and will have to take an extended retest to regain his licence. He was convicted after reaching speeds up to 140 mph on his 750cc Suzuki sports bike on the A229 at Blue Bell Hill, Maidstone, in May 2009. He was convicted in November at Sittingbourne Magistrates Court.
  • A 33-year-old man from Burnt Ash Lane, Bromley was fined £600 and disqualified from riding/driving for 28 days. He was convicted of speeding and riding without due care after reaching speeds up to 95 mph on his Suzuki sports bike on the A21 near Lamberhurst on the Annual May Day Run in 2009. He was convicted in September 2009 at Sevenoaks Magistrates Court.
  • A 46-year-old man from St Andrews Road, Sidcup, was given three penalty points and fined £60 after reaching speeds of up to 90mph along Seven Mile Lane in Mereworth, West Kent, in April 2008.
  • A 25-year-old man from Priory Hill, Dover, received a six-month ban and was fined £565 at Margate magistrates’ court after riding at dangerous speeds in residential Nackington Lane in Canterbury, in November 2007.

Wednesday, May 26 2010

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  • Dave Jones wrote:

    If you've ever motorcycled on the German Autobahn, you will see that such speeds are attained thousands of times every day by both bikes and cars. It's legal there. We think it is madness, they think it is normal.

    I'm always glad to get back onto British roads, but pray tell us, how many £millions are gathered through fining speedsters every year.

    12 May 2011 9:24 PM

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  • John wrote:

    Should have pulled them over immediately if they're breaking the law.

    Totally irresponsible of the police to pursue them for miles whilst endangering other road users just to post a vid on Kent Council's website.

    20 Jun 2010 2:34 PM

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  • Pierced wrote:

    I wonder if the hurry with the blue sports bike which pulls over @ 04m 10 sec has anything to do with what was thrown to the ground by the pillion?

    It's unacceptable without doubt to travel at these speeds and risk the safety of other road users.

    As others have said unfortunately the conduct of this minority of riders means that non riders perhaps believe that we are so reckless.

    Q. When did the blues & two's go on though?



    03 Jun 2010 7:19 PM

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  • oldman wrote:

    Some very silly people on the video including the coppers. As mentioned by a few on here the coppers should put the blues and twos on asap at the start of the "chase" .Incidently Out of uniform coppers speed as well. However Joe public doesnt have the luxury of a warrant card to pull out on occations of speeding as they do. Come on Kent police pull the speeders (cars and bikes) over at the start instead of risking your and the public safety with the prolonged "race" that you seem to "bate"
    That way you will get more support from the rest of us.

    01 Jun 2010 12:37 PM

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  • Lee wrote:

    What madness. What if one of them crashed five min's into the long drawn out police chase ? When you break the speed limit this amount you should be stopped strait away. These type of bikes belive a rapidly aproching bike from behind means they are not going fast enough ! change this goading style of policing before a foolish biker gets killed !We are not all like these idiots. The police may as well sell that camera bike as any bike with half a brain or only half a brain wont go racing about with a unknown rider in their mirrors !

    31 May 2010 10:27 PM

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  • Julie wrote:

    What a bunch of idiots. Not all bike riders behave like this and it gives us all a bad reputation. They are generally the ones who are fair weather and weekend riders just for the image. Makes me so angry.
    Jules of Ashford

    31 May 2010 10:19 AM

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  • Boxerbeat wrote:

    These fools are getting us all a bad reputation riding like idiots.
    But the police rider should have pulled them as soon as they significantly broke the speed limit or pulled a dangerous overtaking move rather than spin it out for several miles, putting other road users at risk.
    Maybe they were enjoying the chase?

    29 May 2010 9:40 AM

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  • Charing Resident wrote:

    Living on the A20 it was no surprise to see the video of of the speeding bikers. Every weekend especially Sundays if the sun is out so are the mad bikers. Sitting in the garden you can hear some of them comming from Lenham and you just wait for them to go past like a bat out of hell. Where i enter the A20 there is a slight bend, one minite there is nothing there then there is a bike or car nearly up your exhaust pipe. More police bikes would be good but i will add that there are alot of car and van drivers on the A20 doing the exact same thing put the two together thats disaster.

    28 May 2010 8:41 PM

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  • Peter Lanckmans wrote:

    I have to say that I fully support the police in pushing for convictions for the minority of riders who put other road users at risk [Including bike riders]. I am sure that they don't see the risk they take in riding like that. They just see the bit of road in front of them. I am a bike rider and understand the reasoning behind the police action.

    28 May 2010 8:12 PM

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  • Dodgy Dave wrote:

    The trouble is that sports bike riders traveling at these speeds are not allowing for the fact that the car drivers who are cocooned in their shells are oblivious to the world outside and the slightest error they make will most likely cause the greatest suffering to the biker who will in turn push up the accident rate for bikers and undoubtedly eventually give rise to the government stifling our pleasure even more.
    So no it is not safe for bikers to travel at these speeds and the police rider who will most certainly be highly trained will not be traveling at excessive speeds if there was no one to chase. He will be controlling the situation long enough to be able to secure stopping the riders and not letting them get away.

    28 May 2010 1:13 PM

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  • Terence wrote:

    Just watching this video sends shivers up my spine. Do these stupid men not realise the danger to themselves (of minor importance), but of others. Their families obviously don't count for much, considering their total lack of concern for those who might just be in front of them, crossing the road for example.... A stray dog could do the trick. Have they never seen a severely handicapped "biker" being spoon-fed in a hospital bed?
    They have no connexion with real bikers!! I am disgusted by them. The police do an incredible job, risking their own lives to protect careful road users. My admiration for them;

    28 May 2010 9:30 AM

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  • PC wrote:

    Fact --Fast drivers make the worst lovers that is why the divorce rate among bikers and police officers is so high.....I suppose they have to get their pleasure from somewhere. One biker said "It turns me on to drive fast" There you are what did i tell you.

    27 May 2010 7:19 AM

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  • steve wrote:

    coppers using the long drawn out chase as their speed fix, no better than the bikers.

    26 May 2010 10:27 PM

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  • stuart wrote:

    Thankfully none of you have travelled over the speed limit before. The two bikes on the first video were not really worth pulling over. The only dangerous moves there were by the police, He nearly hit them. If these people were so dangerous then pull them over straight away rather than 'gathering evidence'.

    26 May 2010 9:35 PM

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  • edward wrote:

    Well done to our boys in blue.

    26 May 2010 8:45 PM

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  • Chris wrote:

    Ben / GP
    Appreciate what you say, but the the police rider has been trained to ride at high speed, has backup (possibly air support), and will constantly and professionally risk assess the situation for safety. Yes, police do get it wrong sometimes, but that is the nature of risk. It would be far better for all of us if these two wheeled twerps didn't threaten public safety in the first place.
    And yes Linda, they need to grow up, or take advantage of track days.
    Real racers put safety first, and would probably knock spots off these dangerous wannabes.

    26 May 2010 6:50 PM

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  • bob wrote:

    Re the A20 video--clear,dry road not much traffic,thus not too dangerous apart from the excessive speed.Certainly doesn't warrant the excessive punishment.Driving whilst on the phone is far more dangerous and thats only a silly fine.Got to say nice smooth riding by the officer though.

    26 May 2010 6:22 PM

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  • ben Ward wrote:

    im sorry but what is the differance between the police rider doing 90mph and following them and the crazy bikers

    26 May 2010 6:09 PM

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  • linda wrote:

    The scariest thing to me reading the examples quoted is that these guys are NOT KIDS!If they want to risk their own lives, fine, go to a bike track, but don't do it on the public roads. Grow up guys, for all our sakes.

    26 May 2010 4:57 PM

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  • GP wrote:

    Way too fast for most of the time. However, the police rider was riding in a similar manner, overtaking on blind bends, double white lines etc, and matching 'Death Defying' speeds. Not sure if the police rider should be risking public safety, seemed to just be adding to the potential for an accident if you ask me.

    26 May 2010 4:55 PM

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  • Chris wrote:

    It terrified me just watching these vids - sheer irresponsibility putting their own and others lives at risk.
    I am a car driver, but I am also the first to defend the vast majority of sensible and decent bikers.
    There are also a lot of daft car drivers about, especially those who consider their phone call more important than my safety. I would welcome
    similar police footage of 'four wheeled fools' to redress the balance.
    We are all primarily road users, and share a responsibility for the safety of all other road users, regardless of our choice of transport.
    I really don't care if these guys risk their own lives, it would go some way to removing this selfish and destructive trait from the human genome. But I object to them gambling with the lives of the innocent and sensible.

    26 May 2010 4:29 PM

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