A British traffic department was forced to write off almost 1 000 speeding fines. Why did that happen? Read more in our collection of motoring tales.
A British traffic department was forced to write off almost 1 000 speeding fines. Why did that happen? Read more in our collection of motoring tales.
The unseen sign
A British traffic department was forced to write off almost 1 000 speeding fines after the road was incorrectly marked.
reported that motorists in Derby were following the usual 80 km/h speed limit on a road unaware that it had been changed to 50 km/h. New signs had been put up, but it caused a lot of confusion as many motorists thought the old speed limit was still applicable.
The traffic department has decided to cancel the fines. “In the interest of fairness and natural justice I accept that some confusion has been caused by the road signs. I am taking the very unusual step of withdrawing the fixed penalty notices issued during the specific enforcement period between April 28 and May 6,” said Derbyshire Chief Constable David Coleman.
He said the new signs would be displayed more prominently.
Don’t drink and stay home
South Africa’s drink driving laws may possibly be too lenient when compared with a case in Germany where a woman’s licence was confiscated because she was at home drunk.
Emergency services responded to a fire alarm at the woman’s house and found her drunk at home. Police ordered her to take a test to prove she was an alcoholic, when she refused they confiscated her driver’s licence.
They said they were concerned that she may decide to drive while under the influence.
The woman appealed the case, but lost. The judge said he understood the police concern that she would drive drunk and she shouldn’t have a licence.
Never too young for a fine
Norwegian authorities have accused a three-year-old of causing an accident. That sounds bad enough, but the accident occurred nine months before he was born.
Erik Solhaug Kristiansen is accused of knocking over a cyclist and inuring her and then fleeing the scene. The accident happened on July 9 1999 and Erik was born on April 5 2000.
“The complainant has waited a whole year before pressing charges. How can the witnesses be so sure of what they saw, so long after the event?
“The other big question in the case is naturally that my son, the accused, cannot have been present at the scene of the accident. He was born in 2000.”
The court has cleared young Erik of suspicion.