According to Guinness World Records, the first person charged with speeding was Walter Arnold from Paddock Wood, Kent. On 28 January 1896, Arnold was seen going 4 times the allowed 2 mph speed limit in his Benz. The constable pursued him on his bicycle, issuing a ticket for £4 7s (roughly £260 in today’s money), of which 10 shillings was for speeding.
In the same year Bridget Driscoll became the first recorded case in Great Britain of a pedestrian to be killed in a collision with a motor car. The car was traveling at 4mph.
You could jog faster than that…
Seriously, and the speed limit of 2mph is slower than most people walk.
Sounds like the first shameless speed trap in history. 2mph? Was the road through a childrens playground or something?
Back in the day streets were for people…
Horses were slow and wouldn’t run over someone, so it’s less like driving down an empty street and more like driving through a children’s playground
It would be difficult to keep a horse at 2mph for any length of time. Even for a human that’s a pretty damn slow walk.
Horses have 4 speeds; walk, trot, canter, and gallop. A walk is the slowest and will be about 4mph. You can make them go slower for a small amount of time but they’ll get frustrated.
The speed limit for cars was not the same as horses
I’m guessing this speed limit was an anti-car measure at the time. No reason to use a car if bicycles (and even walking) are faster.
