Posted on 09/17/2010 10:18:22 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Going 96 mph on a 65-mph highway is enough to land a speeder in serious legal trouble.
That’s 31 mph over the speed limit, and it’s the threshold between a regular speeding violation and the more egregious offense of “excessive speeding,” which earns violators a meeting with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation that they’ll likely walk out of with a suspended license.
On Wednesday night, state police stopped a motorcyclist they said was clocked at 147 mph. That’s 82 mph over the limit.
“That is probably the highest speed I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been at PennDOT nine years now,” PennDOT spokeswoman Fritzi Schreffler said.
The motorcyclist might be one of the fastest speeders caught in the midstate. Schreffler and Trooper Tom Pinkerton, a state police spokesman, said they’ve never seen reports of people caught at speeds that are even close to 147 mph.
The identity of the 24-year-old Enola man will be released after he’s charged when toxicology reports come back indicating whether he was under the influence of alcohol, police said.
In 2003, a Carbon County man was caught while going 182 mph in his Lamborghini Diablo.
In Wednesday’s case, an officer waiting in the construction zone on Interstate 81 northbound in Silver Spring Township — just before Route 114 — caught the red 2003 Honda CBR 600RR motorcycle’s speed on radar, according to state police. The officer pulled out, lights flashing, to signal the motorcyclist over.
Pinkerton said police wouldn’t chase a vehicle going that fast because it would put other drivers in harm’s way. But, he said, “You still have to pull out and afford the driver the opportunity to know that police are wanting him to pull over.”
Police said they caught up with the motorcyclist when he slowed down to avoid a cluster of three tractor-trailers.
“He should count himself lucky that the tractor-trailers were ahead,” Schreffler said.
It takes a person’s brain 1.5 seconds to identify an issue ahead in the road and react to it, said Greg Sullenberger of Crashteams Pennsylvania & West Virginia, an accident-investigation agency. Someone going 147 mph would travel about 322 feet in those 1.5 seconds, making it unlikely he or she would be able to avoid an accident, he said.
If someone crashes a motorcycle — or even a car — at 147 mph, experts agree it would take a miracle for him to come out alive.
“Your internal organs just can’t survive that,” Sullenberger said.
Fast-moving motorcycles present a special danger for other vehicles. Because a motorcycle is a narrow object, it would slice through a car rather than just hit it, injuring or killing the driver or passengers. “It will sort of cut into a car like a knife into butter,” Sullenberger said.
A speeder who survives going 147 mph could face steep legal penalties.
Drivers going more than 31 mph over the speed limit have to attend a special hearing with PennDOT, Schreffler said. That can result in a range of penalties, such as retaking the driving test, mandated driving classes and a 15-day license suspension.
There’s no special class under state law for drivers going as much as 82 mph over the limit because it’s so unheard of, Schreffler said. So despite the extreme circumstances, PennDOT officials, as much as they might like to, cannot impose penalties outside what’s specified by law, she said. But the motorcyclist in Wednesday’s incident likely will see doubled fines because he was clocked in a work zone, she said.
In addition to speeding violations, someone going that fast could face charges of reckless driving or recklessly endangering another person, depending on whether there were other vehicles on the road, Pinkerton said.
Not a blur is right, but scary and exhilarating with the exhilarating part taking over until you stop, then the scary part comes back.
“Hitting anything at that speed would make your internal organs a pulp, rendering them unusable.”
That may be true...or maybe not.
I’ve hit a concrete wall doing 130+, and parked the car right on top of it...all four wheels airborne. I didn’t have a scratch, and wasn’t even sore. I was strapped in dang good.
However, if one doesn’t hit anything at any fast speed...it’s one heck of a ride!
“...then the scary part comes back.”
Not for me! I wanted to do it again, and again!
And, I’ve done it since...and will do it every chance I get.
I’ve liked to “go fast” since I was a kid. ;o)
I did 138 mph in a short burst two weeks ago in my 911 when a Navy jock in a Mustang GT was egging me on
and my 10 year old man child too...who was riding shotgun
and we had the top down..
on I-40 West about 1 mile east of Hermitage exit...coming down that hill from Mt Juliet by the big green water tank...he kept toying with us and my lad was mortified that dad was punking out...I was doing about 75 or so...8 lanes...and I could see open highway ahead with high divider and no troopers so I just dropped to third and nailed it for about 7-8 seconds I’d guess...roared past the GT fairly easy...those PS2s grip great on hot tarmac...I looked at the speedo and wimped and let off and got off at the exit for a Diet Dr Pepper and the pilot honked as he flew by behind me in his great value for the money GT.
this is the second time I’ve goosed it with a navy pilot in a GT...once on I-75 in north GA in the 80s...for about 50 miles at very high speeds...near top end...crazy..
anyway...cops woulda killed me and wifey too but lad was high as a kite over it for days...I’m sure his teacher knows by now..lol
that 80mph or so to 90% of the 188 top speed is where a Porsche 911 really shines...it’s just a steady sure pull of acceleration
besides a track....the only place to really do high speeds now is light traveled freeways with a spotter out front on the phone with you in daytime
TN has a new moving ticket for driving on unopened new highways...I know that ticket...had no idea...so silly
that was where we hot rodded when i was young
If you drive it like an old lady, why do you have it?
Seriously...what’s the point?
I have the mustang cause I wanted one when I was a kid and never got one. So my husband got one for me. He drives it fast.
Tell my sons they still can’t drive my car and after you feed them, send them home.
that is the fastest car for the price one can buy
great choice
i has Subaru 4-wheel wagon 30 years ago...drove it to Alaska from Mississippi
How sweet of your husband to give you your lifelong dream.
You drive it however you want...and enjoy every minute of it.
But, don’t think for a minute that your sons will stop begging you to drive it.
It’s a man machine! ;o)
On the way to Vegas at 2 AM, this particular fellow thought it would be fun to see what the Porsche could do.
Somewhere past Zyzzyx Road, where the 15 Freeway winds through the hills, this particular person was going about 130 MPH or so while having a wonderful and exhilarating time.
Coming around a bend, this particular driver came upon an 18 Wheeler doing about 50 MPH. In the wink of an eye, or was it 1.5 seconds, this particular fellow saw his life flash before his eyes as he veered to the left and missed the rear end of the 18 Wheeler by what seemed at the time a few millimeters.
Needless to say, this incident was something that has not been repeated, except for the time I, oops he, almost hit a Cow while driving through New Mexico in the middle of the night on I-25 (I believe) while on a trip with a former girlfriend in her Galaxie 500.
Those were the days...
That is awesome! Careful that children’s services don’t get ahold of that info. ;o)
Was it a Shelby GT by any chance?
You know one thing about Navy pilots? They love fast cars, but they love fast airplanes even more.
later we were driving pretty fast on some cliff hwys tween Monaco and Portofino..our destination...and some Roman kids in a Red 512 BBS passed us like nothing...thru dark tunnels...and they had the top down and sweaters tied around their necks like a Missoni commercial..lol
I've had a good life..
what always killed me about fast Europe driving was that some Fiesta turbo or Renault Shoebox turbo was always blowing by ya like Fittipaldi Jr was at the wheel...even in the rain
my brother has a Lingenfelter Z06...nearly 700 ponies/flywheel..a 223 MPH monster...scary...you take traction control off and you can forget it...might as well be on trick skis at dusk after a soft rain on a southern lake...glass...all over the place...my oldest daughter went 155 with him in that on I-24 like nothing....in an instant...she wet her britches a bit...she won't ride with him now...hell it scares me ...I ain't lying
125
if it was tricked Shelby...he woulda beat my stock 996
that or those Saleens...some of them are 3 sec cars
but you know....a lot of Mustangs are limited to 155 mph
my boys love to haul a$$....younger daughter too
oldest daughter an wifey no way
wife hates bridges....especially high ones like going to beach or the big one on I-65 at TN river in north AL...she panics...I of course tease her mercilessly
you shoulda seen her on the old HP Long last April...she had to lay down...it’s a phobia bless her heart
man she woulda died to go on the old Hwy 80 Vicksburg bridge back when it was a very very narrow 2 lane like in the 60s
Modern 600s will stomp all over that old KZ1000.
1978 KZ1000 Z1: 4.8 0-60, 76hp, top speed 132mph, 12.3 quarter mile. Weight: 563lbs wet.
2010 CBR600RR: 3.2 0-60, 118hp, top speed electronically limited to 155mph (it can go faster), 10.92 quarter mile. Weight: 410lbs wet.
In fact, motorcycles of the 80s quickly eclipsed the bikes of the 70s. By the mid-80s, even air cooled 700s were faster and liquid cooled 700s just trounced that old KZ.
My main ride, 1986 Honda Nighthawk 700S: 3.6 0-60, top speed 147mph, 12.35 quarter mile. Weight: 516lbs wet.
make that a 4s...man am I showing my age..lol...hasn’t been a Porsche S4 in decades
No one worried about such mundaine things!
I blew a few street racing byr unless you’re driving over your head in turns blowing a tire is no big deal.
We used to run over 150 at the dry lakes and bonneville and never had any problems.
Also, FYI, modern 600s will crack 155+ with regularity out of the box; with a chip, pipe and a little tweaking, they can hit 170+ and are starting to knock on the door of 180.
Certain literbikes can crack 200 and the next barrier to fall for them is going to be the ‘250 wall’. 300 is far from unimaginable now.
If you accelerate a motorcycle to 152 mph, you can put out the sun with your breeze. If you collide, you can knock Saturn out of orbit.
It's a fact.
Moved to PA almost 3 yrs. ago and never have we seen so many people drive over the double yellow line. Must be a PA drivers license requirement. Insane!
LOL...used to cruise the autostradas and autobahns in a porshe 914 that had the six cylinder factory engine at 230 kph. Thought I was hot sh*t till I had a mercedes station wagon with a soccer mom in it flashing to pass behind me . Crazy place ....but fun !
...Had a new vette in 84 that I spun up to about 130 a few time when I was stationed in Kansas. But back then I was 10ft tall and bulletproof.....slowed waaaaay down now.
Just driving a little 5.9L turbo diesel doooooge pickup now in my old age....;o)
Stay safe .......
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