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Hilarious Computer Snafu Mistakes Woman in a Scripted Tee for Vanity Plate on VW Van

It’s not every day that the case of a driving fine makes headlines, but today is it. Call it a case of technology gone unchecked or a hilarious “I wasn’t even there”-type of thing, but this must be peak incompetence in terms of driving fines.
Couple receives fine for driving in the bus lane, based on a photo of a woman in a scripted shirt walking there 6 photos
Photo: Kerry Davies via The Guardian
ElectReon to provide wireless charging for about 200 buses in Tel AvivElectReon to provide wireless charging for about 200 buses in Tel AvivElectReon to provide wireless charging for about 200 buses in Tel AvivElectReon to provide wireless charging for about 200 buses in Tel AvivElectReon to provide wireless charging for about 200 buses in Tel Aviv
Last month, a couple from Dorking, Surrey, UK, received a £90 ($124) fine in the mail for the alleged infraction of driving in the bus lane. In June this year, the incident supposedly happened in Bath, some 120 miles (193 km) off. So far, so good: the notice even included a photo snapped by CCTV from a nearby bus station.

The biggest issue with the notice was that there was no car in the picture, let alone David Knight’s Volkswagen bus. Nor had he and his wife traveled to Bath last summer or, for that matter, been anywhere on the day they allegedly drove where they shouldn’t have. Instead, the photo showed a middle-aged masked woman walking in the bus lane, and she was wearing a shirt that read “Knitter.”

The script of the shirt was what led to the snafu, the Knights tell the BBC, mostly due to the fact that it was partially obscured. The license plate on their VW van reads “KN19TER,” the closest thing to David’s nickname, “Knighter.” The image was processed by a computer and, because no one at Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES) looked at it, a fine notice was sent to the holder of a similarly spelled vanity plate.

The Knights called BANES and were initially told they had to pay the fine. Then, as they explained the situation and how the CCTV snap showed a woman walking and not their car driving in the bus lane, they got uncontrollable laughter as a reaction and the promise that the fine would be canceled. “There was no way I was going to pay for a woman walking in a bus lane with a funny T-shirt on,” Mrs. Knight says. Indeed.
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Editor's note: Photos in the gallery show ElectReon electric buses.

About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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