BMW M4 driver was 'frustrated' at being stuck behind tractor on Frosses Road and then hit speed of 111mph in 60mph zone
A motorist in a BMW M4 who hit a speed of 111mph in a 60mph zone had been frustrated after being stuck behind a tractor, a court has heard.
Colin Lardie (43), of Bresagh Road at Boardmills, near Lisburn, pleaded guilty to exceeding the speed limit at Frosses Road near Ballymena on the afternoon of Saturday, January 27, 2024.
He had a clear record.
A defence barrister said the defendant and his wife had been going to Bushmills.
He didn't normally drive the BMW M4 and instead normally uses a Mini, it was said.
"He was accelerating into a second lane" and it was "completely out of character".
The barrister said the defendant had been "travelling for a fair distance on a single carriageway, not being able to pass, behind a tractor.
"Frustration got the better of him and he got the opportunity to overtake and that is why the speed crept up so fast. He put the foot down and went too fast for his own experience, driving a Mini normally".
District Judge Nigel Broderick said that made it "even worse" as to overtake a tractor you might need to do "30-40mph never 111".
He said it was "one of the highest speeds I have seen" and "even on the motorway I don't see many people driving at 111mph".
He added: "Can you imagine if you were standing on a 60mph road, or even in another vehicle, and somebody comes past you at 111mph? That is bordering on dangerous".
The judge said there could have been a fatal collision at such a speed.
Lardie was given a three months driving ban and fined £300.