A motorist could not understand why he could not play the flute and drive at the same time. Read more in our collection of motoring tales.
The speed of music
A motorist is in trouble after being caught steering his car with his knees because he needed his hands free to play the flute.
The 52-year-old Austrian was pulled over by police in the town of Traunstein after reaching speeds of 130 km/h and overtaking several cars during rush hour.
The man said he was a flautist and needed to practice before a concert and could not waste time concentrating on the road.
Flying cow
A British couple had to holiday in a battered caravan after a cow fell on it, causing a huge amount of damage.
Derrick and Patricia Cogan parked their caravan in a quarry and discovered it was damaged when they went to fetch it to go on holiday. A cow fell about 10 m down the side of the quarry and landed on the caravan. The cow injured a front leg and caused about R22 000 worth of damage.
“The site owner said our caravan got hit by a low-flying cow. I thought it was a joke, but he said it was serious and it was damaged.
“I just thought it was totally humorous. My wife and I were in hysterics about it,” said Derrick Coogan.
Insurers Caravan Guard marketing manager Craig Thompson said it was the strangest claim the company had received. “We’ve been in the business 20 years and never had anything like this. It really does take the biscuit. When we got the claim, the whole office was in hysterics,” he said.
Money, money, money
German police had to close an autobahn near Bochum after motorists stopped their cars and dashed across the road to pick up money.
The owner of the money, a total of about R781 000, accidentally left his briefcase on the roof of his vehicle. “I was rung on my mobile just before I got into the car and I put the bag on the roof because I needed my other hand free,” said the man.
“It was a long call and I forgot about the bag when I drove away.”
The bag fell off and broke open and the money fell on the autobahn. Motorists stopped their vehicles and grabbed as much money as they could. The owner asked that the money be returned as it was wages for his 35 employees, but the police only managed to recover R24 000.
Police said it was a crime not to hand back the money.
