Source: Shields Gazette
A CABBIE banned from the roads for a year after ferrying passengers around in an uninsured car today said: “An honest mistake has ruined my life”.
He made 31 journeys while his car was uninsured for two and a half days in February.
But the dad-of-two claims he simply forgot to renew his papers when they ran out, and feels he’s been “hammered” by the court.
“I’ve lost everything because of an honest mistake.” He said
“I’m a law-abiding tax-payer who needs to provide for my family, and they’ve taken everything away from me for two and a half days.”
He added: “I’ve never been in trouble in my life.
“If I had known I wouldn’t have risked it, I would have taken the weekend off. To ban me for a year is completely over the top.”
He has now launched an appeal against the magistrates’ decision to disqualify him from driving for 12 months. “What am I supposed to do for work? I’m a driver by trade,” he added.
Officers from South Tyneside Council’s licensing section discovered the offence after receiving a cover note from his insurers.
They realised that his insurance had expired at one minute before midnight on February 20, and was not renewed until February 23.
The 34-year-old had continued to work during that period.
He appeared before South Tyneside magistrates last week, where he pleaded guilty to two charges of driving his Hackney carriage vehicle without insurance.
He added: “I accept I made a mistake, and I expected to get punished, but to take away someone’s livelihood like that is shocking.
“I’ll struggle to get another job the way things are at the moment. I’ll have to rely on my wife to pay the bills, which isn’t fair.”
He was given six penalty points for each offence, fined £115 and ordered to pay £100 in costs, as well as a £15 victim surcharge.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
2 excuses the magistrates dont except are:
I forgot.
I didnt get it in the post.
Who knows if this guy is geniune or not, and thats the point i suppose, if you gave this guy the benefit of the doubt, then where do you stop? Every tom dick and harry would just use the ‘i forgot’ excuse. I know what it looks like to me, febuary, no money, weekend at work, renew monday. read from that what you will.
@Andy Warhol, Andy !!! our great MP’s who represent us all have just made some genuine mistakes have they not ??
Simply oversights and forgetfulness is at all levels !!
The MP’s never got charged for their mistakes,so why should a small taxi driver ?
@ian shanks, I must say i’m more than a little surprised that a responsible operator of over 400 PHV’s/Taxis should think like this.I should think that one of your major responsibilities was to make sure all your drivers were fully insured. Talking like this I am forced to wonder how seriously you take your own position as the owner of one of Tynesides largest Taxi companies.
@j.davies, maybe you missed the sarcasm in me !! the point i was attempting to make was the little taxi driver driver gets prosecuted for what was minor in comparison to what MP’s have been doing, yet sod all happens to them committing that level of crime.
MP’s simply make mistake, we the working public commit crimes and must be punished accordingly.
@ian shanks,
i think some of those guys knew exactly what they were doing.
but this forum isnt called toomanymps.com is it?
but theres an idea though …
@ian shanks, Got to agree with that.
To be frank, I think this is right. What would have happened if it had been the drivers’ family in that uninsured vehicle and it was involved in an accident. Would he say “oh it’s OK let him off” NO WAY!!!!!!
Also, us as members of the public get stung with higher insurance premiums when these uninsured drivers have accidents, so go on the courts, our legal system should be as tough as the USA.
{ 1 trackback }