Car driven at 101mph as two children stuck heads out of windows

1:03am Tuesday 11th March 2008

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AN idiotic driver was caught on camera smashing a speed limit with two children sticking their heads out of the windows.

Colin Goodall was snapped by a speed camera hurtling along at 101mph.

"This driver has endangered his own and other people's lives and I am sure seeing those children would have been a distraction to other motorists as well."

Lorna Jackson of pressure group Brake

But officers were horrified when they studied the footage and discovered the youngsters were not wearing seatbelts and were sticking their heads into the road.

Yesterday, Goodall was branded a "disgrace" by safety campaigners, as the 37-year-old was banned from the roads.

Jeremy Forsberg, of the Northumbria Safer Roads Initiative, said: "This is clearly absolutely disgusting behaviour.

"He is meant to be responsible for the children in the car, other road users and to himself not to drive in this manner.

"Breaking a speed limit by more than 30mph is bad enough, but to have young people not secured properly and dangling out of the window is shocking."

Goodall, of Harvey Close, Ashington, Northumberland, was speeding in his Audi car on the A189 Spine Road at Cramlington in October.

Because he was caught doing 101mph - more than 30mph over the speed limit - his case was automatically referred to court.

He appeared before Bedlington Magistrates, where he admitted the speeding charge and was given a 28 day ban.

He was also fined £200 and ordered to pay £45 in costs and a victim surcharge.

But it is Goodall's disregard for the safety of his child passengers that has angered safety campaigners.

Mr Forsberg added: "We know that hitting a windscreen at 30mph is the equivalent of falling off a three-story building.

"So, while travelling at 101mph, any sudden braking by the driver while children's heads are hanging out of the window like that would have severely tragic consequences.

"For those children not to be properly restrained in the first place is dangerous, particularly while going at such a speed.

"But to allow them to be behaving in the way they did shows a complete disrespect for the roads. He put his own life in danger, those of the children and other roads motorists.

"That should attract a harsh penalty and the driver was quite rightly banned by magistrates."

Lorna Jackson, of pressure group Brake, said: "Speeding with children hanging out the window is highly dangerous and irresponsible and to then only receive a one month ban really sends out the wrong message.

"This driver has endangered his own and other people's lives and I am sure seeing those children would have been a distraction to other motorists as well.

"This is wrong on so many levels and our stance is that if speeding or driving behaviour is that bad, it should attract a charge of at the very least careless driving."