Want out of a traffic ticket? Blame the Zombies

[Demontestament]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/11/13/australia.speeding.ap/index.html

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Hundreds of Australian drivers have come up with a way to weasel out of tickets: Blame it on a dead guy.

More than 200 motorists have avoided parking and speeding fines by accusing either a dead man or an out-of-state resident for their errors, police said Saturday.

Under New South Wales state law, if car owners sign a sworn statement that they were not driving the vehicle when an offense was committed, they can avoid paying speed camera fines that arrive by mail and parking tickets left under windshield wipers.

A recent government audit of the excuses given in those sworn statements revealed that 238 motorists had blamed one of two people: a dead man and a person living in neighboring South Australia state, Police Superintendent Daryl Donnolly said in a statement.

Police say a 53-year-old businessman from South Australia has been unfairly flooded with traffic fines. He believes the scam started after he rented a sports car in Sydney.

Some $61,000 of fines have been avoided this way in the past three years, Donnolly said. He said car owners charged with swearing false statements face up to five years' imprisonment if convicted.

All I can say is this makes the "One armed man" Excuse sound 100% valid.

[KN]

It's easier here. All you have to do is challenge the issueing of the ticket. While this is being processed, you don't have to pay for it, and if they don't get a verdict within 3 weeks, the ticket drops entirely.

Bureaucracy ensures this always happens.

[Tollwutig]

LOL thats' funny. Of course in North Carolina, all speed cameras and stop light camera's have been put on halt pending a court decision.

You see there is this funny little clause in the North Carolina Constitution that says:
Sec. 7. County school fund.

All moneys, stocks, bonds, and other property belonging to a county school fund, and the clear proceeds of all penalties and forfeitures and of all fines collected in the several counties for any breach of the penal laws of the State, shall belong to and remain in the several counties, and shall be faithfully appropriated and used exclusively for maintaining free public schools.

The important part is in Italics. You see some bright lawyer for dug this up and local school boards latched onto it and sued the municipalities, and so far the State Courts agree.
All the money gained from those traffic light cams have to go to the local schools. Which means the company that operates them would have to do it for free or the municipality would have to lose money on the operation.

Right now all those programs in NC are on hold pending the State Supreme Court taking up the case. As it stands Mecklenberg County & Charlotte owe the Charlotte Mecklenberg School District something like 4 million in back fines if the Supreme Court agrees with the Appellant Courts.


:D

[Silver_Derstin]

It's easier here. All you have to do is challenge the issueing of the ticket. While this is being processed, you don't have to pay for it, and if they don't get a verdict within 3 weeks, the ticket drops entirely.

Bureaucracy ensures this always happens.

Bureaucracy is not only a waste of money, it also makes the state LOSE money, is that what you're saying?

That IS awesome, though. I wonder if I can try blaming the dead guy for something else.

[KN]

Bureaucracy is not only a waste of money, it also makes the state LOSE money, is that what you're saying?

Affirmative