Call for special anti-speeding attention to Co Antrim road where drivers have been clocked at over 130mph

Davy Jackson of the organisation Road Safe NI Charity made the comments after the second conviction involving extreme speeding on the same road in a week.

Mark McMahon, 46, of Glebe Manor, Newto wnabbey, was banned from driving for three months at Ballymena Magistrates' Court on Mon day after being caught speeding at 139mph on a motorbike on the A8 outside Larne in July 2023.

It came exactly a week after Andrew Robert Steele, 30, of Bryan Street in Larne, was convicted by Antrim Magistrates' Court of speeding and dangerous driving, having been clocked at 132mph on the same stretch of road in May.

He is appealing the dangerous driving aspect of the sentence.

• ‘THEY THINK IT ALWAYS HAPPENS TO SOMEONE ELSE’

​The A8 is dual carriageway running through the Co Antrim countryside between Newtownabbey and Larne town. It’s been open since December 2015.

Both men were caught by police cars which happened to be in the area at the time.

Mr Jackson said that the sentence was "inappropriate" in both cases.

He said the biker should have been banned for a minimum of a year and be required to re-take his test, because the sentence he actually got provides "no deterrent" value.

The former firefighter said: "It's the old attitude of 'it will never happen to me'.

"That's the way these people drive. They think they're a good driver and can handle everything, but they just don't know what's around the corner.

"All it takes at that sort of speed is a dog to run across the road, a blowout, a pothole, or absolutely anything – particularly on a bike.

"Obviously it sounds like there's a bit of a problem with speeding on that road.

"Given these facts we'd like to see the police having an increased presence in that area.

"We know they're strapped for manpower at the moment. But given the recent speeding offences noted on that road an increased presence wouldn't be a bad thing there – both mobile patrols, and speed detector vans."

As for the sentence – a three month ban and £300 fine – he added: "Whilst I can't speak for the police, I assume they're not particularly happy with the outcome of that either, because that could've caused carnage to innocent people travelling along that road, as well as himself.

"He may have no respect for his own life, but he should have respect for the rest of us."

As for the £300 fine, he said that a single fatal collision is estimated to cause £1.8m to the economy, in terms of emergency services, hospital resources, insurance, and road closures.

• ‘ROAD SAFETY IS KEY’

The PSNI told the News Letter: “Road safety throughout Northern Ireland is, and will continue to be, a key priority for the Northern Ireland Road Safety Partnership and the PSNI.

"Our primary aim is to prevent people from being killed or seriously injured on our roads.

"Driving at speeds well in excess of the speed limit not only displays a clear disregard for other road users but is also reckless and dangerous and drastically increases the risk of a serious collision.

"Making our roads safer is a responsibility we all share.”

The Lady Chief Justice’s office, representing the judiciary, said: “It is not appropriate for the Lady Chief Justice (outside her role as an appellate judge when a particular sentencing disposal is appealed before her or referred to the Court of Appeal on which she sits) to comment or express any opinion on a particular sentence.”

However, the office added that “in relation to sentencing in general, the sentence imposed will depend on the specific circumstances in each case and a wide range of different factors will be considered” – including guilty pleas and prior offences.