Speed dater Lusty BMW driver fined €750 after being caught doing 173km on way to Tinder date

Meet the roadside Romeo whose rush to get to a Tinder date saw him clock up a staggering 173km an hour in a 120km zone.

BMW driver Adam McNally this week told the Sunday World he didn't wish to speak about his speed-dating antics when we caught up with him outside his Craigavon home.

"I don't want it in the paper," he told our reporter. "I'm sorry about that. I know it's a long drive."

Traffic unit gardai, however, had plenty to say about McNally's motoring when he appeared before Naas District Court last week.

And although McNally avoided a road ban, he was urged by the judge to ditch the social media app and seek out any new companionship 'through friends'.

McNally (35) appeared in court charged with dangerous driving on the M4 at Ballyvoneen, near Kilcock on the court sitting date of February 9.

 

Conviction for dangerous driving carries maximum penalties including a fine of up to €5,000, six months imprisonment, or both.

Garda Daniel Murphy told of detecting the defendant driving at 173 km/h in a 120 km/h zone at around 12.35pm.

When stopped, the defendant said he had met a girl on the Tinder dating app and came down to meet her.

The State did not object to an application to reduce the charge to careless driving.

The lesser charge of careless driving, or driving 'a vehicle in a public place without due care and attention,' carries with it a maximum penalty of a fine of up to €5,000 or up to 5 penalty points on your licence.

According to Garda Murphy, road conditions were dry and traffic volumes were moderate at the time of the incident.

Defending solicitor Joe Coonan said the defendant was not concentrating on his driving and is very apologetic.

Mr Coonan added the defendant, who was driving a BMW car, had split up from his partner and "was back on the market".

Referring to the imposition of a penalty, he also said he had €150 in his car and he is currently out of work.

Reducing the case to careless driving, Judge Desmond Zaidan imposed a fine of €750 and adjourned the matter to allow for it to be paid.

He described the defendant's actions as stupidity at the highest level and said he should meet people through friends instead.

Gardai have identified speed as a key risk factor in road traffic injuries and fatalities.

Covering the period from January 1 until Wednesday of this week, a total of 24 people lost their lives as a result of accidents on Irish roads.

That figure is an increase of 19 fatalities on the same period last year when the pandemic led to a marked reduction in traffic volumes.

The 24 fatalities to occur so far include the deaths of four pedestrians, 13 drivers, two passengers, and five motorcyclists.

Naas District Court, which covers the N7, M7 and M4 routes, saw the second highest number of drivers (238) convicted of speeding up to September of last year, according to figures from the Court Service.

The only higher area was Dublin Metropolitan District, which has a far bigger population.

A total of 987 people appeared on speeding charges in Naas during that period.

The data from January to September shows that 238 motorists were convicted of speeding.

A further 240 defendants were given fines while there were eight disqualifications from driving.

There were also 65 cases of speeding struck out in Naas during this period.