Speeding: a fabricated crime

Motorists who fall foul of traffic regulation are rarely real criminals. Captain, now Sir Tom Moore, the NHS fundraising hero, admitted to breaking the speed limit hundreds of times. In doing so, he probably only hurt the odd fly. Harriet Harman and Stephen Fry are among legions of motorists “caught” doing 100mph in perfect safety. They weren’t doing it on a High Street but a deserted motorway. Former Energy Minister, Chris Huhne, and his ex-wife were jailed for swapping points over a trivial speeding offence so Huhne could avoid losing his licence over other trivial speeding offences. Mr Justice Sweeney, said: “Any element of tragedy is entirely your own fault.” I disagree. “Speeding” is a fabricated crime, and no crime if it caused no harm. Inappropriate speed is a different matter. Clearly it’s beyond the wit of the state to distinguish one from the other, or ensure the distinction forms an integral part of driving tuition and the driving test. Another casualty of puerile regulation over “speeding” is the “disgraced” Labour MP, Fiona Onasanya. These high-profile victims of the inflexible, indecently mercenary system, which wrecks lives and criminalises the innocent, are the tip of a grim, silenced iceberg.