A Northern Ireland judge has said too many young male drivers who speed "think they are infallible". District Judge Nigel Broderick was speaking at Ballymena Magistrates' Court which heard that Cullen Green (22) exceeded his then R driver limit of 45mph by driving at 82mph on the A26 Crankill Road dual-carriageway near Ballymena around 2.25pm on August 11 last year.
Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to NorthernIrelandWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you. The defendant had an address listed on his charge sheet as Fairfield Road in Portstewart but a defence lawyer said he had been travelling from his home in Aghadowey and was "late" for an appointment. He was in a Ford Focus with R plates and was detected doing 82mph.
A defence lawyer said the defendant, who had a clear record, wished to apologise. The lawyer said the 82mph was on a dual-carriageway although at the time he was still in his R plates which restricted him to 45mph. Advertisement Advertisement The defendant was banned from driving for two weeks and was fined £200.
Judge Broderick said "far too many young men" come to court charged with speeding and speeding is a major cause of accidents. He continued: "Young men seem to think they are infallible and nothing bad can ever happen to them but all you have to do, unfortunately, is read the media or turn your TV on and invariably you will come across a case where a young man has been driving at exces.
