Tourists' taxi tale of terror

A group of French tourists found that their recent trip to New York set their pulses racing a little more than they had expected. The tourists boarded a vehicle outside the Air France terminal at New York's JFK airport, unaware that this was an unlicensed cab.
March 1, 2012 Read time: 1 min
A group of French tourists found that their recent trip to New York set their pulses racing a little more than they had expected. The tourists boarded a vehicle outside the Air France terminal at New York's JFK airport, unaware that this was an unlicensed cab. As police attempted to stop the vehicle, it sped off with the tourists onboard. The police then followed in hot pursuit while the terrified tourists made repeated pleas to be let out. The van hit speeds of 100km/h as it raced along crowded residential streets, ran red lights and stop signs in an attempt to outrun the police. When the van finally crashed, the police were able to apprehend the driver and the vehicle's 'tout', while one of the tourists was slightly hurt by the crash. The driver and the tout face serious charges and possible prison sentences of up to seven years.

Related Content

  • Road safety improvements have been seen in France and Turkey
    April 13, 2012
    Both France and Turkey have seen road safety improvements. In Turkey the latest data shows a slight fall in traffic accident fatalities. A recent National Police Department (NPD) research from Turkey indicates that over 10 people die/day in traffic accidents in the country. The research spans the period from 1985 to the end of 2011 and reveals that 3,440,635 were injured in traffic accidents and 152,468 people were killed. But by adding people who died in hospital afterwards, the death count is expected to
    Read More
  • Saudi Arabia has to tackle road safety to reduce current accident levels
    November 15, 2012
    Saudi Arabia is suffering from poor road safety, despite continuing investment in infrastructure. The country’s road crash rate is very high, accounting for up to 19 deaths/day on average. The data shows that Saudi Arabia’s road network one of the most dangerous in the world. The Government of Saudi Arabia has introduced various policies to address the problem and enforcement has become much tougher. Although congestion is being addressed with the construction of new links and the implementation of ITS tech
    Read More
  • US safety concern
    April 24, 2012
    Concern has been raised at the risks faced by older drivers following the publication of a report produced jointly by research group TRIP and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The report reveals that older drivers are more likely to be killed in intersection crashes than young drivers. Data for 20120 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that 37% of fatal accidents involving drivers aged 65 and over involved an intersection. B
    Read More
  • Nose knows no offence?
    February 23, 2012
    A British motorist was recently stopped by police and charged for the offence of blowing his nose while his vehicle was at a standstill. The man had stopped his van in traffic and opted to use the time to wipe his nose with a handkerchief. He was then stopped by police who told him he had not been in control of his vehicle. For this offence he was fined €5.76 and given three points on his driving licence. The driver said that he thought the policeman was joking at first but quickly realised that the officer
    Read More

Highlighted Content