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

  • AECOM seatbelt and phone use trial expanded
    March 8, 2024
    More police forces in the UK are joining the National Highways’ trial of safety cameras that automatically detect motorists breaking seatbelt and mobile phone use laws.
  • Heavy right foot
    May 26, 2016
    A couple in the UK are now paying a rather costly price for their willingness to drive too fast for the conditions. The couple were out for a spin in their showroom-new Lamborghini Huracan at the end of 2015 when the driver lost control, sending the car off the road, down a bank and plunging into a fishing lake. Luckily the couple managed to escape and swim to safety, and others in the vicinity at the time were able to give them blankets to keep warm until the emergency services arrived. But despite costing
  • Stupid thieves
    June 27, 2016
    A motorcyclist in the UK city of Newcastle came close to having his bike stolen by persistent and rather stupid thieves. The biker had just entered a main road from a roundabout when he spotted a bicycle lying in the middle of the roadway. Realising it posed a hazard to traffic on the busy road, he pulled to a halt and went back to remove the abandoned bicycle. Meanwhile a youth ran up to his motorcycle, which still had the key in the ignition, and began wheeling it away. The motorcyclist spotted what was h
  • How Florida paved the way for availability payments in the US
    November 21, 2014
    New financing models have been used to deliver key transport links in the US - * Patrick D Harder and Brandon J Davis Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) public-private partnership (PPP) programme has made impressive progress, setting precedents for US transportation planning and funding. On March 26th 2014, FDOT opened 16km of new reversible express lanes as part of its US$1.8 billion I-595 Corridor Roadway Improvements Project. Just a few months later, on August 3rd 2014, FDOT opened twin tunnel