Skip to main content

Hot wheels

In the US city of Miami a car dealer proved very accommodating to a paraplegic man who dropped into the showroom to check out the various models on display. The dealer had already sold a number of cars to paraplegic clients and thought nothing of letting this man sit in one of the vehicles.
June 27, 2014 Read time: 1 min
In the US city of Miami a car dealer proved very accommodating to a paraplegic man who dropped into the showroom to check out the various models on display. The dealer had already sold a number of cars to paraplegic clients and thought nothing of letting this man sit in one of the vehicles. However when the salesman rolled the man to one of the cars, a 2009 model, he first made himself comfortable in the driver’s seat, then locked the doors and using his cane to work the accelerator, sped away leaving his wheelchair behind. The salesman immediately called the police who quickly managed to locate the car but stopped the pursuit when the driver crossed the county line. The man was later apprehended when he stopped to refuel at a service station. He was charged and fined.

Related Content

  • Road trains project saves space as well as fuel
    February 23, 2012
    A high-tech European project involving cars could reduce fuel consumption by up to one-fifth as Patrick Smith reports. A new EU project, Sartre, is aimed at developing and testing technology for vehicles that can drive themselves in long road trains on motorways.
  • Using ITS to maximise safety and traffic flow for cycling
    January 22, 2013
    Copenhagen, Denmark, has long been known as one of the world’s leading cities for cycling. In some areas of the city, the modal share of bikes has reached a level of as much as 50 %. And on some of the most frequently used bike paths the average daily number of cyclists is close to 30,000. As these numbers continue to rise, new ways of planning and implementing cycling infrastructure are needed. Increasingly, Danish traffic planners are turning to technology as a tool for planning cycling infrastructure. I
  • Pan-European enforcement of driving laws due
    August 27, 2013
    Agreements are being reached that will see Pan-European enforcement of driving regulations. Drivers will now face being penalised for any offences committed in other European countries. The change is due on 7th November 2013. After this date EU Member States will commence the cross border exchange of data relating to road traffic offences. For this scheme to work, eight offences have been listed in the data exchange programme. These are; speeding, not using a seatbelt, red light running, drink driving, driv
  • Fuel savings
    July 19, 2012
    Police in the US and the UK are being forced to tackle motoring expenses due to rising fuel costs. In various US states, police are being told to turn off engines and air-conditioning when vehicles are at rest and that patrols should open windows and park under trees to stay cool on warm days. In some states, drivers stopped for speeding will also have to pay a fuel surcharge on top of their fine, to cover the cost of the fuel used in their pursuit. Meanwhile in the UK, the Devon and Cornwall police force i