Speeding GM LAV

[Tony Smith]

From a recent edition of New Zealand's Dominion Post:


"LAV DRIVER FINED FOR SPEEDING
The Army's powerful new armoured vehicles have proved they are fast - one has been given a ticket for doing 109km/h on State Highway 1.
The 15 tonne eight wheel drive LAV was pulled up just south of Taihape about two weeks ago. Nathan Mazara, a Canadian Test Driver and customer support officer for LAV manufacturer General Dynamics, said a police patrol going the other way caught him on radar.
Mr Manzara was snapped at 109km/h, 19km/h over the open road speed for heavy vehicles like the LAV. It cost him $120.
The LAV's top speed is governed (Electronically controlled) at 110km/h.
Police Road Safety National Adviser, Inspector John McClelleand said he had heard of the occaisional military vehicle being pulled up for thing like axle weight checks, but there were no records of tickets being issued.
Until now, speed had not been an issue for the Army's heavy vehicles, He said - the old ones were were not so fast.
As for dispensations for the Military, "They've got no defence". There were no exemptions for the Military like those covering Police Officers in an emergency.
Defence spokesman Ric Cullinane said any breach of the law was not condoned, and people caught speeding had to pay their own fines. He said he said he had no idea how many Army vehicles might have been caught for speeding over the years, but this was definately the first time a tactical armoured vehicle had been issued an infringement.
Mr Mazura, who has been in New Zealand since January and is due to return to Canada soon, said he had paid the fine but feared he might lose his job now that news of the incident had got out.
In the past four years, he has spent thousands of hours testing LAVs."

Personally, I think it's a pretty low blow to accuse the New Zealand Military of Having No Defence. C'mon, they're trying to do the best they can with what they've got.