Curry blamed for motorway speed dash

A late-night curry caused motorist's dash for services

A speeding motorist blamed his 104mph dash down the motorway on the after-effects of a curry he had eaten the night before.

Bridgend Magistrates Court in south Wales heard John Tivy, 49, had been in such a hurry to get to a toilet he had not realised how quickly he was travelling.

I had been for an Indian the night before and was desperate to get to the toilet

John Tivy, speeding motorist

His toilet trip was caught on speed cameras and earned him a 28-day driving ban, £270 in fines and £35 costs.

His sentence was handed down at a special court convenved to deal with motorists caught speeding in south Wales.

Mr Tivy, a contractor from Sully, near Cardiff, told the court: "I had been for an Indian the night before and was desperate to get to the toilet.

"I was trying to get to the services to use the toilet and realised my speed after I noticed the black van on the bridge."

The motorist was one of 15 caught and banned from driving after doing over 100mph on the M4 in south Wales.

One motorist clocked up a top speed of 124mph, the court was told.

Police across Wales have stepped up efforts to crack down on drivers breaking the speed limits.

In north Wales, 7,000 bookings were recorded by North Wales Police throughout the force's area as part of their Arrive Alive campaign.

Speed cameras can increase accident rates

The scheme saw the introduction of more fixed speed cameras, more officers and the targeting of accident black spots.

However, the wisdom of introducing more fixed speed cameras on British roads came under scrutiny during a recent survey which discovered they can increase accidents rather than prevent them.

Researchers in Leeds found the presence of cameras can make motorists brake suddenly and distract them from the traffic surrounding them.

On two roads surveyed, accident numbers rose rather than fell after cameras were introduced.