A British teenager has been convicted of dangerous driving after he posted a video of him speeding on video sharing site YouTube.
Last year, Peter Ballinger, 19, decided to post a video of him speeding along Copt Elm Road in Cheltenham, England, and challenged others to beat his speed along the same stretch of highway.
Copt Elm Challenge
All the “Copt Elm Challenge” did was get him arrested by police, and now he has been fined £140 and handed six penalty points on his licence, meaning he will lose his licence until he passes a new test.
Although the road has a 30mph speed limit, the page on YouTube challenged people to drive as fast as they could and then boast about it on the site.
Dozens of drivers claimed they had taken part with one boasting that he had reached 115mph in his Honda Civic. Two of Ballinger’s friends were also in court but were cleared of any wrongdoing.
James Haskell, prosecuting, said:
“These three young men would film themselves racing around the streets of Cheltenham and put the video footage on to the internet.”
YouTube Being Increasingly Used
YouTube is increasingly being used as a place to boast of illegal or immoral behaviour, and a case like this was bound to crop up sooner or later.
The YouTube page for the “Copt Elm Challenge” has now been removed, but similar uses of the site are out there with a few choice searches.
[YouTube]
