5/30/2006
Australia: Farm Truck Accused of Impossible SpeedSpeed camera accuses three-cylinder farm truck of driving beyond its top speed in Victoria, Australia.
![Cliff Perrett, Herald Sun photo](/rlc/pix/perrett.jpg)
A speed camera in Victoria, Australia accused Cliff Perrett of speeding at 109km/h (67 MPH) in his beat-up Suzuki Mighty Boy farm truck -- a speed the vehicle is incapable of reaching. Perrett's Suzuki, with a tiny three-cylinder 543cc engine, produced 25 horsepower when new and has a top speed of only 90 km/h (55 MPH). Despite the evidence, VicRoads officials insist on charging the Colac farmer A$130 for speeding in Mansfield on April 13, 200 miles away from home.
"Mighty Boy wouldn't get up the hills to get to Mansfield," Perrett told the Herald Sun newspaper. "The kids drive it around the paddocks on weekends."
The speed camera ticket did not include the photo of the alleged incident, but Perrett believes it the camera misread a motorcycle license plate. He has until next month to pay the fine or prove his own innocence in court.