inane and slightly ridiculous news from europe - part 1

ireland: another metric system fault

by the associated press
published: november 1, 2007

when the police caught david clarke flying down a road in county donegal at 180 kilometers an hour last month, he looked likely to lose his license. but a local judge reduced the charge after concluding that the speed did not look as bad when converted into miles: 112 m.p.h. the judge suggested that it was relatively safe to have shattered the legal road limit at the time, citing good weather, light traffic and the road’s unusual straightness. he was quoted as saying the speed seemed “very excessive,” but did not look “as bad” when converted into miles per hour. mr. clarke, a dubliner, was clocked going 180 k.p.h. (112 m.p.h.) in a 100 k.p.h. (62 m.p.h.) zone. the judge reduced the charge, gave mr. clarke a fine and let him keep his license. the episode underscored ireland’s slow mental conversion to metric. ireland switched its speed limits from miles to kilometers in january 2005, but most cars still display speeds principally in miles.