cam . # .

I did not sit at the speed:

You said it yourself, you didn\'t care that you might get caught. And you wouldn\'t have changed your behaviour even if you had known how much the fine could be. So there you are, and the government says \"We\'ll fine you $200 if you speed\" and you say \"I don\'t care, I\'m still going to sit above the limit.\" They up it to $400, and you\'ll still speed. $700. Still speeding. What do we have to get to before you finally say \"Well maybe I\'ll just shut my mouth\"?

This is what happened, two cars are ahead of me on the Cunningham Highway. It is two lanes, except for small sections of dual lane (three lanes in total for the road) for small periods.

The car, that was two cars infront, was dipping and diving between 85kph and 105kph. This was screwing up my cruise control settings, so I had a motive to get past him.

Overtaking section comes, I pull into the overtaking lane (there is no traffic in this lane coming the other way as there are three lanes here, two in my direction, one opposite). I overtake the first car.

I accellerate to 140kmh to get past the next car (which is the problem car) before the dual lanes in my direction runs out. He speeds up to 105kmh making it more difficult for me. I am alongside him, and doing 140kmh whent he copper breaches the hill.

Now after I got past him I would have slowed down to 105kmh and set the cruise control again, as I did for the other 2500 kms I travelled that week. was not sitting on 140kmh. I was overtaking on a stretch of road that permitted overtaking safely without danger to oncoming traffic.

I was speeding, ok I can cop that. My speed was excessive. I can accept that. I pulled off the road unbidden. I had no problem with being pulled over and being fined - until I saw the amount. That does not fit my infraction.

I did not change my driving because this occurred only one other time in 2500 kms of driving. In faive days I was only put in this position one other time. This fined failed it. It is political escalation of tough on crime that leads to an unreasonable outcome - which the citizen wears.

cam