Skip to main content

Better excuses needed

A number of British drivers are now counting the cost for their feeble excuses for poor driving. One man was travelling at around 210km/h in his mother’s Mercedes, roughly twice the speed limit for the stretch of road, when he was spotted by police and stopped. When asked in court to explain his reasons for the inappropriate speed, he explained that the vehicle did not have cupholders and was therefore unable to hold his cup of tea. This was why he had to secure it on the seat, between his legs instead.
February 19, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
A number of British drivers are now counting the cost for their feeble excuses for poor driving. One man was travelling at around 210km/h in his mother’s Mercedes, roughly twice the speed limit for the stretch of road, when he was spotted by police and stopped. When asked in court to explain his reasons for the inappropriate speed, he explained that the vehicle did not have cupholders and was therefore unable to hold his cup of tea. This was why he had to secure it on the seat, between his legs instead. The man had points put on his licence, and as he has previously been booked for speeding and using a cellphone at the wheel, he was banned from driving for six months.
One woman was booked for speeding eight times within three months on a stretch of motorway and explained that she was trying to get home quickly, while she had only recently realised what average speed cameras were for. She was also banned from driving for six months.

Related Content

  • Digital cameras and VMS improve London and Scottish road safety
    March 18, 2016
    London and Scotland are using VMS and digital cameras to successfully lower road deaths. Road safety measures such as variable message signs (VMS) and digital cameras have boosted road safety in the UK capital London and also in the Scottish Highlands. And the systems need not be a drain on electricity supplies. Full matrix driver information signs from SWARCO Traffic, one of the UK’s leading traffic management technology providers, are being installed for the first time across the Transport for London (TfL
  • Manila’s Evel Knievel wannabe hits his stride
    January 15, 2015
    If you’re going to have an accident, why not make a real day of it and have several? That’s exactly what one motorcycle driver – a possible Evel Knievel in training - did in the Philippines capital Manila. If you watch closely, the driver had a passenger when he ran into the first vehicle, a white minivan. Wisely, the passenger did not get back on after both he and the motorcycle driver were tossed off. Instead, the passenger casually wanders around, following the driver as he embarks on yet more prangs.
  • India’s road to safety
    September 5, 2012
    India's growth rate is the envy of the world, and its infrastructure is rapidly improving, but its road safety record is the world's worst. Patrick Smith reports on a conference aimed at finding answers to the problems Ambling through the gardens and marble magnificence that is the Taj Mahal or gazing down on the city of Jaipur from the hilltop Jaigarh Fort is far removed from the world outside.
  • Russian road rage
    February 22, 2012
    ARussian has turned road rage into revenge by ramming other road users. The minibus driver grew so upset with the behaviour of other road users he decided to take matters into his own hands by deliberately failing to brake or swerve to avoid a collision. The impacts were comparatively minor and did not result in any injuries to any vehicle occupants. Police however were able to identify the driver as being the cause of the problem when video clips were posted on the Internet. The man had fitted a video came