UFO tops list of odd excuses for driving finesA council has revealed some of the weird excuses drivers have given to get out of paying motoring fines, including ones featuring a UFO and colour blindness.
Bosses at Southwark Council say they a regularly blown away by the imagination of people contesting they should not be liable for a parking or driving fine.
For example, one man wrote in to say he had been so shocked by seeing a UFO over the road that he had accidentally driven into a bus lane.
Another claimed they were colourblind so when they were caught parking on double yellow lines, they thought they had been green.
It will note come as much of a surprise to find that the bizarre excuses do not generally get people out of paying the fines… but they do cheer up some other-wise glum council workers.
Other unusual reasons drivers have given to the council’s appeals team over the last two years include:
* “It was raining. I thought I could park anywhere if the weather was bad.”
* “I don’t know what the yellow lines mean.”
* “I had to pick up and take an injured dog to the vet and did not want the animal to endure any unnecessary extra pain by limping further to the car”
* “I was only sleeping in the back of the car. The Civil Enforcement Officer could have asked me to move the car instead of giving me a ticket, although he would not have seen me as I had a blanket over my head.”
Gill Davies a spokesperson for Southwark Council said: " The imagination of some of these drivers is quite impressive, but UFOs and colour blindness unfortunately do not count as legitimate reasons to overturn a ticket."
Newslite, 12/04/10. 