Teenage P-plater fined for reaching 158km/h on Albany Highway near Mt Barker

A teenage P-plater has been warned the open road is “not a speedway” after he was clocked at 158km/h in his mother’s car on the way home from the speedway. The 17-year-old boy appeared in Albany Children’s Court last Friday pleading guilty to reckless driving at 155km/h or more. Police prosecutor Sergeant Alan Dean told the court the boy was caught speeding on Albany Highway about 6pm after a day at the Mt Barker Speedway. The teenager was recorded at 158km/h in his mother’s Holden Commodore in a 90km/h zone south of the Mt Barker townsite. Sgt Dean said the boy’s explanation was that he thought it was a 110km/h speed zone. The boy’s lawyer told the court he was returning from the speedway after working in the pit crew. Magistrate Dianne Scaddan fined the teenager $800, disqualified him from driving for six months and cancelled his provisional license. “You are not on the speedway, you’re on an open road where anything unexpected could happen,’’ Ms Scaddan said. “You might think you’re the best driver in the world, but you’re not, you were travelling at irresponsible speeds on an open road. “Not only that, you’re in the country where there are livestock or kangaroos and could suddenly find yourself in a position where you can’t control the vehicle. “The amount of deaths in the region involving single vehicle crashes is enormous.”