Speeding R driver was 'late for university’
An R driver restricted to 45mph caught doing 85mph said he was late for university in Derry/Londonderry.
Rhys Gillard (19), of Springfield Close in Belfast, was detected at the New Moneynick Road in County Antrim on October 7 last year.
A defence lawyer told Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena, the defendant was using his mother's car at the time.
The lawyer said the defendant's own car had a "black box" which he said "does make it a lot less likely that he would speed".
A driving black box, also known as telematics insurance, is a small device that monitors a driver's habits and sends that information to their insurance company.
District Judge Nigel Broderick asked the lawyer: "Do you think he had a licence to speed then because there was no black box?"
The lawyer said that was not the case but said on the day in question the defendant was "late for university".
Judge Broderick said that "unfortunately" it appeared to be that, "disproportionately", speeders were often "young men".
He said it was "every parent's nightmare to have the police come to their door if somebody has been involved in a serious, if not fatal, road accident and speed is a major factor. So unless you learn to slow down you are going to put yourself and others in danger".
The defendant was given five penalty points and was fined £150.