When we brought you the story of the teenaged speeder who was clocked at 146 mph on a Maine freeway, we got plenty of replies about other cars that are capable of that speed. We get it, there are lots of cars that are capable, however, our initial surprise was that someone was hitting that speed on a public freeway – and that it wasn’t some high-priced exotic (since we’ve seen a few of those videos lately).

Reader Jeff Rosenberg commented:

We heard from quite a few who noted their cars, and others, were more than capable of 146+ mph. But we would much rather people do those speeds at a track, not the same roads where our friends and family drive on a regular basis.

But aside from the obvious and blatant disrespect for the posted speed limit, what some people might not realize is that any curves in the road start to require more than a single lane when traveling at that speed. And then there’s other traffic, road conditions, all sorts of things to factor into this burst of speed. If just one little thing went wrong, it’s scary to think what could have happened, let alone if there were other cars involved.

Lt. Bruce Scott was the arresting officer with the Maine State Police; he heads up the Traffic Safety Division. We reached out to Lt. Scott and asked him about the defendant, Tyler Barrows, and whether there was a pursuit, resistance, or confrontation. We also wanted to know what Barrows’ fate will be now that the 18-year-old decided to play Fast and Furious on a public freeway.

Lt. Scott told us that there was no pursuit; when he stopped Barrows – who had slowed because of traffic – they were only about 3.5 miles down the road. Scott said that Barrows seemed a bit nervous, but was completely submissive – almost in denial that he got caught. But, in a rather bold, nonchalant attitude Barrows claimed he had just spent about $8,000 on the motor and that he could have gone much faster.

So what’s in store for the young speeder? Scott said he will lose his license for a minimum of six months, but it could be much longer. He will have to appear before a judge on November 9th to answer chargers, but at this point his fine is up to $1,000 and six months in jail.

Yep, go directly to jail. Do not pass ‘GO’, do not collect $200.

Scott can’t tell us much more about the incident or Barrows’ statements to him, as charges are still pending. But the bottom line is that Barrows was being irresponsible, and risked not only his life but the lives of others. It’s often that when nothing happens we get complacent, but then remind yourself of all the Cars and Coffee show-offs who plow into a crowd of people because they couldn’t control their car, and maybe you’ll understand why we won’t condone this activity.

Lt. Scott added, “146 miles per hour is a dangerous and reckless rate of speed on any public way and is similar to playing Russian roulette, sooner or later you will crash and burn. There is no chance of survival if there is mishap at that speed. It’s like driving on ice, very dangerous and unforgiving!”