- Turkish transport minister posted himself speeding while “checking” a highway.
- Uploaded clip on X showed his car hitting speeds of 225 km/h (140 mph).
- The viral video surpassed 5M views before the minister admitted his mistake.
In the early days of the internet, ignorance and, thus, stupid mistakes were an everyday phenomenon. Decades have passed since then, things have changed a lot and most of us have gotten wiser (and older…), but it appears not everyone is aware of the ease with which they can incriminate themselves on social media.
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See Also: MKBHD In Hot Water After Posting Then Deleting Video With Speeding Lambo
We often get to report on people who catch themselves red-handed by posting their own illegal antics online, whether it be hooning on the streets, exceeding the speed limit, or crashing. However, rarely are those we report on elected officials traveling at nearly twice the speed limit. And yet, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Turkey’s minister of transport, managed to do such a easily avoidable error.
Uraloğlu took to X (formerly Twitter) to post a video of himself driving along the Ankara–Niğde highway. In the clip, his car’s speedo was seen to be flashing between 118 and 140 mph (190–225 km/h), well over the country’s 85 mph (137 km/h) limit.
A Self-Made Scandal
The footage, which perhaps unironically bore the translated caption “#TurkeyAccelerates,” was accompanied by folk songs and clips of President Tayyip Erdoğan’s speeches. To his credit, rather than sweeping the whole incident under the rug, Uraloğlu reposted the video with a caption admitting his snafu.
“I took to the wheel to check the Ankara-Niğde highway and unintentionally exceeded the speed limit for a short period. With the video, I effectively denounced myself,” he wrote. According to the penalty notice, Uraloğlu had been clocked at 225 km/h (140 mph) and fined 9,267 Turkish lira. Which, to be honest, is less than a slap in the wrist, as it equates to roughly $225.
Mind you, this is not the first time a lawmaker has been caught behind the wheel doing something they shouldn’t. Notable incidents include an Ohio senator caught taking a Zoom call while driving,and an Australian mayor who crashed after admitting to drinking.
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Viral Fallout
Back in Turkey, the video quickly went viral, racking up more than 5 million views and thousands of comments, many of which mocked the minister for effectively reporting himself to the authorities. On his part, Uraloğlu didn’t even try to bury the whole thing but acknowledged his mistake: “Sticking to the speed limit is mandatory for everyone, much more careful from now on”, he wrote.
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