Ashley Cole and a Swiss millionaire – two people I recently wrote about in my articles related to speeding offences. Well how do these new names grab you – Harriet Harman and Jermaine Defoe. One is the Labour Party Deputy Leader and the other is a well known striker for Spurs. Both have been recently convicted of driving offences:
According to The Sun (source) Harriet Harman has pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention – she has been fined £350 and ordered to pay £75 worth of costs, and a victim surcharge of £15. She has also received three points on her driver’s license. Not the heaviest of penalties; my only hope are these fines don’t turn up on her next MP expense claim form!
Jermaine Defoe – also according to The Sun (source), a judge actually issued a warrant for the strikers arrest after he failed to attend Watford Magistrates Court to answer a speeding charge (yes, another rich man speeding in an expensive car!).Celebrity lawyer Mr Nick “Loophole” Freeman managed to persuade the judge to withdraw the warrant – how is not quite known. Defoe already has a six month ban for a previous speeding offence, and was fined £400 on Monday for the speeding offence in Portsmouth.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who you are or how famous you are – by risking the lives and safety of other road users through driving without the appropriate due care and attention, you are negligent and you are breaking the law! Had anyone been injured through their reckless acts, the victim would have been eligible to claim for the compensation they are legally entitled to.
And there is more to come! – How about the story from The Mirror (source) of the drink driver arrested twice (yes, twice) within 9 hours! Twenty Four year old Michael McHugh was arrested at 16:40 on December 20th 2009 and found to be more than two and a half times over the legal limit. He was released after five hours with only to be caught again just hours later at 1:30am the next morning; this time at four times over the limit.
Drink driving is bad enough; but proceeding to continue drinking and drive again after already being stopped by the police is, well, quite ridiculous! And it doesn’t take a genius to know that when you are under the influence of alcohol, you are not in full control of your vehicle – and you are risking the lives and safety of other road users and pedestrians.
And finally, what else other than the bad weather could cause travellers chaos on the A27? How about a confused 78 year old gentleman whom unfortunately ended up on the wrong side of the carriageway according to The Mirror (source). One brave motorist whom advised “There were cars swerving at the last second to avoid her. It is amazing nobody hit her” risked his life drive ahead of the gentleman and pull him over by crossing the centre barriers. Sussex Police reportedly received dozens of 999 calls on the subject.
So, if you have been injured in an car accident due to the reckless driving of another road user, you are entitled to claim for compensation. Speak to an expert independent personal injury solicitor and get the right advice and representation for your claim.