Ari Singer takes on police over alleged speeding in Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court
A father of two accused of hooning 40km/h over the speed limit in his new Tesla says it’s impossible he was speeding as the car would have warned him.
South East
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A Tesla driver claims it’s “absurd” he could have been speeding in his hi-tech car because it would have warned him he was over the speed limit, a court has heard.
Ari Singer, 39, pleaded not guilty in Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court, after he was spotted by police allegedly doing 115km/h in a 70km/h zone in his new electric car on December 18, 2021.
The father of two told the court these claims were “absurd”.
“I drive this stretch of road every single day, I’m very familiar with the light cycle and the speed limit there,” Mr Singer said.
“It’s absurd that I would be driving 115km/h.”
The court heard Mr Singer had owned the car for just three months at the time of the alleged incident.
“It was a brand-new car,” he said.
“I’d owned it since it was registered, so three months maybe. I’ve sold it since.”
The court heard Tesla vehicles have the ability to alert drivers when they are travelling above the speed limit, an alert Mr Singer said he had switched on.
“The car didn’t warn me that I was over the speed limit, I would have heard it,” Mr Singer said.
“I’ve been driving for 22 years and I have a clean driving record, it’s absurd to say I was driving so fast and with my kids in the car.”
Mr Singer’s counsel Warwick James Walsh-Buckley, told the court there was reasonable doubt to the allegation.
“There has been no expert called to give evidence and no corroborator,” he said.
“It’s only a police officer’s estimate and there is no video of the radar’s result. The police have intercepted the driver and he has made strong denials.”
“This is one against one, with Mr Singer giving evidence under oath that was both powerful and emotional,” Mr Walsh-Buckley told the court.
“There is reasonable doubt here, so the charge must be dismissed.”
Magistrate Katherine Rynne said she wanted time to assess the evidence presented before making her decision.
The parties will return to court for Ms Rynne’s decision in June.
