It’s no secret that speeding leads to accidents. The speed limit is there for a very good reason, and breaking it puts the offender and other road users and pedestrians in serious danger. That’s why it’s against the law, and the consequences are there to prevent people from doing it.
But it appears there can be loopholes in the system; in fact, this next story shows how one woman got away without consequence for a considerable length of time by employing a rather disturbing smoke screen to cover up her road traffic offences. According to the Daily Mail, a company CEO avoided speeding fines by blaming them all on her deceased mother! It’s an unbelievable story. A leading business lady, turned somewhat amateur scam-artist, evaded points on her license by claiming her dead mother was behind the wheel of the car at the time of the offence.
According to the report, her scam was revealed after her mother would have had to have appeared in court for additional penalties after she ran a red light with her mother’s license already carrying 9 penalty points. The CEO, however, received the notice of intended prosecution, and realised one of her dead mothers driving penalties had expired, and she therefore returned it, claiming her mother was at the wheel. She was forced to admit the scam after police wrote to her deceased mother, and were informed she had died in 2002. The police launched an investigation, and eventually charged the woman in question for the offences.
She appears to have got off lightly considering the circumstances – evading a driving ban and being ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work and a 15 week suspended prison sentence, following her admission of perverting the course of justice at Manchester Crown Court. She has since stated “I can only give a heartfelt apology for what I’ve done. I was stupid and naive, and I feel deeply ashamed of behaving in this way. I honestly don’t know why I did it, and I can only emphasise how deeply, deeply sorry I am. I hope this case serves as a warning to others. My mum, who was my strongest advocate, would be equally disappointed in me.”
It’s certainly a strange story; but the unusual circumstances aside, speeding is a danger – the primary issue here is not just with the method employed to evade the consequence of speeding, but the fact that she was committing the repeat offences at all. If a driver breaks the speed limit and causes an accident, they are negligent for any suffering caused to others, and a claim for compensation can be brought against them. But it’s important to remember that car accidents can result in tragic consequences – including fatalities. Road accident claims are common enough; we should all do whatever we can to try and prevent them by driving with due care and attention, and sticking to the speed limits.
For specialist advice on claiming for compensation, speak to an expert independent personal injury lawyer for the best guidance and representation for your case.