This week sees the world’s fastest police car, the Ariel Atom, take the UK police force by storm – making a mockery of the performance giants used by other forces across the globe.
The Atom is the reigning champion of the Top Gear track, boasting an awesome acceleration of 0-60 mph in under 2.5 seconds, and we’ve got the scoop on just where this feat of auto-engineering is headed.
You’d be forgiven for thinking the Atom had arrived right off the Formula One track. The 350bhp machine weighs just 612 kg, with a top speed of 155mph, and is thought to be the car for the job in the race for safer British roads. While the Ariel Atom will not be used in operational police duties, the car has been delivered to the Avon and Somerset police force to promote its Safer Rider campaign, discouraging dangerous riding exhibited by the region’s bikers.
Painted in the force’s livery and fitted with aerodynamic Hella pursuit lights and emergency equipment, the Atom is on loan to Avon and Somerset as a preventative measure – designed to deter riders from the reckless road conduct responsible for the 30% increase in motorcyclists’ deaths in the last year. As Simon Saunders, director of local manufacturer Ariel, so succinctly puts it, “the road really isn’t the place to explore your or your vehicle’s limits.”
Andy Parsons, a Road Policing Sergeant involved in this forward-thinking project, expressed his feeling that “to be safe, rider and machine need to work in harmony”, citing rider error as the cause of many road injuries and even deaths.
In theory, the Atom more than holds its ground among superpowered police cars around the world. Capable of outrunning Dubai’s Ferrari FF, Italy’s Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Polizia and even Germany’s mighty Audi R8 GTR, this breakneck beauty is the stuff of blockbuster police chases and is unsurprisingly able to keep up with many high power road bikes. With 20% of all UK road deaths involving bikers, and riders 35 times more likely to be killed in a road collision, it’s clear that this is a necessary initiative – and that any attempt to curb motorcyclists’ speeds in the name of safety is an important measure.
The Ariel Atom’s public unveiling is set for June 8th in Somerset, a day which will also provide bikers with essential road safety information and training. These new safety initiatives are sure to make a dent in road collision statistics and may even incite a movement on the responsible riding front. Watch this space for more updates.
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