Photo: Flickr user sludgegulpe
A pensioner in North Wales has received a letter informing him of having received a speeding ticket on his mobility scooter.
Things like these show us that the current systems used for issuing speed tickets with fixed speed cameras are not entirely fool-proof, and that mistakes can still occur.
Fortunately for Mr. James Roberts, the top speed of his vehicle is just eight mph (12 km/h), while the speeder that was mistakenly confused with him was driving at 42 mph (67 km/h) in a zone where the limit is at 30 mph (48 km/h).
At the precise time when the speeding offense took place, the 74-year-old pensioner was ten miles away, in his home in Abergele, where he was recovering from a triple heart surgery. Along with the fact that his vehicle did not have a license plate per se, there’s not better alibi than this in the given situation.
As the UK’s Metro notes, the ticket was objected and then revoked after it was found to be issued incorrectly. However, while we are happy that the retired electrician from North Wales did not get an incorrect speeding ticket, we find ourselves wondering just how often does this happen in the UK and other places of the world.
As you know, these speeding cameras and some red light cameras are cash cows for some local authorities, as they can end up earning serious money for the city without too much effort put into them.
It has been demonstrated on several occasions that some red light cameras, for instance, were configured to make it easy for drivers to get a ticket without crossing the intersection on a red light.
The same can be said about some speeding cameras, because their systems are not entirely perfect, and the system can always have a glitch when you are passing.
This error is particularly frustrating, as the offense happened at a plausible distance from the presumed offender’s home if an automobile was involved, but without any number plates on the mobility scooter.
In other words, the man was sent the fine even though the mobility scooter that is registered in his name does not have license plates, and the vehicle could not have even reached 30 mph (the speed limit on the segment), let along 42 mph with a triple heart surgery patient at the wheel.
Fortunately for Mr. James Roberts, the top speed of his vehicle is just eight mph (12 km/h), while the speeder that was mistakenly confused with him was driving at 42 mph (67 km/h) in a zone where the limit is at 30 mph (48 km/h).
At the precise time when the speeding offense took place, the 74-year-old pensioner was ten miles away, in his home in Abergele, where he was recovering from a triple heart surgery. Along with the fact that his vehicle did not have a license plate per se, there’s not better alibi than this in the given situation.
As the UK’s Metro notes, the ticket was objected and then revoked after it was found to be issued incorrectly. However, while we are happy that the retired electrician from North Wales did not get an incorrect speeding ticket, we find ourselves wondering just how often does this happen in the UK and other places of the world.
As you know, these speeding cameras and some red light cameras are cash cows for some local authorities, as they can end up earning serious money for the city without too much effort put into them.
It has been demonstrated on several occasions that some red light cameras, for instance, were configured to make it easy for drivers to get a ticket without crossing the intersection on a red light.
The same can be said about some speeding cameras, because their systems are not entirely perfect, and the system can always have a glitch when you are passing.
This error is particularly frustrating, as the offense happened at a plausible distance from the presumed offender’s home if an automobile was involved, but without any number plates on the mobility scooter.
In other words, the man was sent the fine even though the mobility scooter that is registered in his name does not have license plates, and the vehicle could not have even reached 30 mph (the speed limit on the segment), let along 42 mph with a triple heart surgery patient at the wheel.
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