An automotive journalist in the Canadian province of Quebec was caught driving 222 km/h (approximately 138 mph) on a public road early Monday morning. Philippe Laguë was testing the Dodge Charger SRT-8 on highway 132 in Longueuil, near Montreal, and faces a fine of $958 CDN ($845 US) , plus 15 demerit points on his license – enough to have it suspended. Maudite!
Laguë claims he's not the only journalist who performs high-speed testing on public roads in Quebec, and that while car manufacturers advise journalists to watch out for police, they often prevent them from testing on closed tracks. He admits that he was driving too fast and obviously made an error in judgement. (Uh, no kidding.) He also says he's going to ask the Quebec provincial police (Sûreté du Québec) to investigate how the information on his arrest was leaked to the press.
Quebec has some great driving roads and many are tempted to push the limit. (Claiming you were rushing home to watch the hockey game doesn't always work.) Needless to say, losing your license, for an automotive journalist especially, poses an even bigger problem than usual. But as the saying goes, "if you can't do the time, don't do the crime."
Merci pour le tip, Raoul!
[Source: La Presse – for translated version click here]
GM shrinks Volt's gas tank, range drops from 600 to 360 miles
MINI dealers to sell Alfa Romeos in the U.S.
Honda to reveal OSM open-top concept in London
With crisis looming, GM may unveil Volt for 100th anniversary
Next BMW M5 will nix V10 in favor of twin-turbo V8
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Lincoln MKS
Track Test: 2008 Roush 427R Trak Pak Mustang
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Porsche Cayman S
First Drive: 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata Retractable Hard Top
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
apt34 @ Oct 13th 2006 1:15PM
"I'm sorry, officer, I wasn't speeding, I was.. umm... testing, yea!"
Fabulo @ Oct 13th 2006 3:04PM
Modern technology will trump your "detector".
Cops use laser detectors. Used correctly, they read your speed _as they pull the trigger on the speed gun_ which mean that your detector will just advise you that it's too late.
To do 120+ mph on public road, you need to find a stretch with very little/no traffic, the ideal time to get busted easily.
I guess now he'll be stuck to testing cars exclusively "on the track".
mike @ Oct 13th 2006 7:08PM
Great link PiCASSO!
Some of those speeds are caaarrrraaaazy!!
I wonder how someone can take a picture going at 300+ kph???
maaxm @ Oct 13th 2006 8:16PM
I know, he should have not speeding. But doing 222km/h on the 132 is a bit crazy. It would have been less dramatic on a highway farther away than a big city. I don't know, let's just say hwy 40 between Trois-Rivières and Québec city. Long, boring, pretty straight and no one on the road at some early hours.
MikeW @ Oct 14th 2006 2:03AM
150mph to 0 in the Charger SRT-8, takes probably 750 feet, and less than 7 seconds.
and the charger can go past 170mph in 4th gear if allowed to.
and so can the 300
http://www.caranddriver.com/roadtests/9479/chrysler-300c-srt8-page4.html
Going fast doesn't automatically mean you are unsafe. There is nothing wrong about driving quickly and politely, and you can't honestly say your driving is polite, then you need to check yourself.
NFW @ Oct 15th 2006 2:51PM
Aren't arrests and such a matter of public record in Canada? Did there have to be a leak, or could someone have found out just by paying attention?
solipsism @ Oct 16th 2006 7:01AM
I live in alberta where detectors are legal. I just drove on a 500 trip (1000 one way) in a rental @ the rental's governed speed of 172kmh. THe dectector saved me from a ticket 3 times.
Yes, by the time your detector catches a laser, your caught. Thing is, a lot of cops have their radar anway, and your radar detects that.
As far as my speed is concerned I have a political point of view on speeding, and i would rather have an alert driver pass me at 150, then a semi-conscious man talking on a cell phone/eating/talking to passenger @ 100km. Just my $0.02.
We all know there are many many speeders out there. Yet most accidents dont blame speed as a factor. Its mostly people falling asleep, not paying attention or not understands the coniditions of the road.
DriverX @ Oct 17th 2006 9:55AM
I think that radar detectors, NOT jammers
are very usefull.
I intend to put one in my car, it will save me a lot of money.
Mark Pennington @ Oct 18th 2006 3:55AM
While I wouldn't condone breaking the law, the actual act of driving fast in a good car, under ideal conditions is a measured risk. I won't suggest that crashing at over 200 will have lesser consequences (other things being equal) than a crash at say 100, although even at under 100 fatal accidents do still occur. Perhaps we can learn from the Germans in this respect. Much of the Autobahn now has speed limits but where it is deemed still safe, no limit applies. As long as you are driving in a safe fashion (Germany has some very strict laws here), you can drive as fast as you like. So is the case of Philippe Laguë about automotive safety or simly breaking a law? If speed alone is the deciding factor in automotive safety, Germany would have the worlds highest automotive related death rate. Why doesn't it?
integrale @ Oct 18th 2006 3:26PM
About the roads in Quebec and Vermont. To post #18 & 19, while the roads are probably better in VT they are far from being perfect (I live in VT and drive to Montreal several times a year).
And in regards to speeding. Why is it such a big deal in North America? Germans have unlimited speed on certain stretches of Autobahn and the rest of Europe has a limit of 80 mph. I don't think Euopeans are killing each other at much higher rate than we do here. People just have to drive and pay attention and not to do all other activities we see every day on the roads. My 2c.
CanadaCraig @ Nov 4th 2006 8:56AM
When it's safe to do so [that means NOT in a school zone - among other places] I have no problem at all with people exceeding the speed limit. I do it all the time. But going 138 MPH is beyond just 'exceeding the speed limit'. Speeding only accounts for 5% of all accidents. [According to a recent U.K. study] But one must always take into account just how great a distance their car would require IF they HAD to stop suddenly. At 138 MPH - you're really pushing your luck. [And maybe someone else's 'luck' - too] Craig!! :o)