A study by Linea Directa showed an 80% increase in fines on the roads of Spain between 2007 and 2013. Many of them were for minor infringements which to many seem like trumped up charges.
I spoke to one person who was fined for driving in flip-flops which are said to be unsuitable footwear.
Some of the fines were even more bizarre than that, like the driver who was fined 80 euros for chewing gum. The report said that his attention was distracted by fiddling with a chewing gum packet.
In a later case a driver was also fined 80 euros for biting his fingernails at the wheel. He was accused of not maintaining freedom of movement at the wheel.
Is it any wonder then that drivers come to the conclusion that these arbitrary fines are just a fund raising exercise. DGT deny this saying that the number of fatalities at the wheel have dropped dramatically as a result of their vigilance.
I spoke to one person who was fined for driving in flip-flops which are said to be unsuitable footwear.
Some of the fines were even more bizarre than that, like the driver who was fined 80 euros for chewing gum. The report said that his attention was distracted by fiddling with a chewing gum packet.
In a later case a driver was also fined 80 euros for biting his fingernails at the wheel. He was accused of not maintaining freedom of movement at the wheel.
Is it any wonder then that drivers come to the conclusion that these arbitrary fines are just a fund raising exercise. DGT deny this saying that the number of fatalities at the wheel have dropped dramatically as a result of their vigilance.
No comments:
Post a Comment