- An Italian motorist in a
Ford Focus was caught going 437 mph by a malfunctioning speed camera. - The glitchy speed reading came with a near-$1,000 fine, along with 10 points on the person's license.
- Local police didn't check the absurd speed figure before issuing charges, according to reports.
A motorist in Italy was slapped with a hefty fine after a malfunctioning speed camera caught them driving 437 mph, Italian car website Autoappassionati reports, via Motor1.
According to the original article, the speed limit on the stretch of road where the incident occurred in the commune of Offagna is roughly 43 mph, meaning the driver was apparently caught doing just over 10 times the legal limit — or, you know, the speed of an airplane. Local police failed to check the numbers before issuing a penalty, the report said, meaning the driver was facing a penalty of nearly $1,000 and 10 points to their driver's license.
The Ford Focus in question couldn't possibly have been going anywhere near that speed, as Motor1 points out that the latest European-spec model has a limited top speed of 155 mph.
Not to mention, a top speed of 437 mph would make the Focus far and away the fastest production car in existence, which it isn't. The Bugatti Chiron recently broke the 300-mph barrier, after all, and it has 1,500 horsepower — about 10 times that of your average Focus.
After the incident, a Facebook account appearing to belong to a spokesperson for the area highway committee recommended that the driver appeal for compensation rather than look to cancel the penalty altogether.