Computer game speed stunt backfires

A computer game company which offered to pay drivers' speeding fines as part of an advertising promotion for a new motor racing game has been slammed by the Department of Transport.

Acclaim Entertainment said that it would refund the fines of any driver caught by speed cameras on 11 October to mark the launch of the new PlayStation 2 game Burnout 2: Point of Impact.

According to news agency Reuters, a spokesman for Acclaim said that the company did not condone speeding but wanted to "ease the financial pain a bit".

But the Department of Transport insisted that the campaign was likely to promote speeding and encourage dangerous driving.

A spokesman explained that if a company wanted to foot what is likely to be a hefty bill, that was its choice. But the department is concerned that the stunt will have detrimental effects.

"Basically they are encouraging people to speed and to break the law, and the Department hopes that none of these people ends up knocking down a child," he said.

Acclaim has a long history of arranging bizarre publicity stunts. In August it offered to pay £500 to anyone who changed their name to one of its computer game characters. The promotion attracted more than 3,000 applicants.