In 1896, when cars were still considered strange and even called the “devil’s eye”, the first speeding ticket in history was issued to a man called Walter Arnold in Paddock Wood, England. Walter was testing a small Mercedes Benz car imported from Germany. As he drove, he had the feeling that he had unleashed the first “traffic monster” in history.

He pressed down on the accelerator and sped up. A police officer on a bicycle began to chase him. After a chase of 8 kilometres, the officer caught him. At the time, the speed limit was only 2 mph (3.2 km/h), but Walter was travelling at 8 mph (13 km/h). He therefore had to pay a fine of 4.7 pounds. This included 10 shillings for exceeding the speed limit.

Many years later, the speed limit was increased to 14 mph (23 km/h). Walter Arnold’s speeding offence became part of history.

Written by Eren T.

Source:

https://www.britainbycar.co.uk/east-peckham/571-arnold-motor-carriage-companyhttps://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2024/1/bizarre-story-of-the-horseless-carriage-charged-with-first-speeding-offence-763941#:~:text=The%20first%20recorded%20speeding%20fine,of%20cars%20in%20the%20world.