Skip to main content

Holiday surprise

A German couple arriving back in the city of Düsseldorf after a vacation had an unwelcome surprise with the car service they had arranged to pick them up from the airport. The vehicle that arrived to ferry them back to the car park where they had left their car was in fact their own, and they were understandably less than pleased. The car owners immediately looked at the odometer, which revealed an unwelcome truth. During their holiday break the car had been used to shuttle numerous passengers between the,
December 13, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
A German couple arriving back in the city of Düsseldorf after a vacation had an unwelcome surprise with the car service they had arranged to pick them up from the airport. The vehicle that arrived to ferry them back to the car park where they had left their car was in fact their own, and they were understandably less than pleased. The car owners immediately looked at the odometer, which revealed an unwelcome truth. During their holiday break the car had been used to shuttle numerous passengers between the, supposedly, secure car park and the airport terminal. So often had the car been used on this comparatively short journey, it had clocked up over 400km. It has not been reported how the parking company compensated the couple for the unauthorised (and illegal) use of the car. But it seems likely that the next time the couple fly away on a vacation break they will use other transport means to travel to and from Düsseldorf airport.

Related Content

  • Sustainable Construction with Topcon
    February 7, 2024
    Michael Gomes, vice president of sustainability and corporate social responsibility at Topcon, talks to Mike Woof, editor of World Highways magazine, about the use of technology to deliver sustainability in road construction.
  • Powered two wheeler safety plan for Europe
    November 16, 2015
    A new road safety strategy for powered two wheelers in Europe has been set out jointly following discussions. The results of analysis have been set out in a joint position statement by the bodies FEMA, FIM and FIM Europe. In the draft report FEMA and FIM have identified seven major areas of great importance that are in accordance with the positions of the riders’ organisations in Europe and elsewhere. Key recommendations and statements from the OECD-ITF draft report highlight issues for the safety of powe
  • Barriers to European safety: how safe is safe?
    February 1, 2021
    Roberto Impero, chief executive of SMA Road Safety, and Stefano Caterino, head of SMA's marketing, urge a major rethink about how European crash cushions and end terminals are tested for safety certification.
  • Building a major Turkish highway project
    August 15, 2018
    The North Marmara Motorway Project in Turkey has been a major focus for project financing, as well as for novel technical solutions for its construction. This mega infrastructure project is intended to boost transport connectivity between the European and Asian sides of Turkey International law firm Winston & Strawn LLP has advised on major project financing for two sections of the highway. The structure for implementation of the Project is based on the build-operate-transfer (BOT) concession model. The