Driver slapped with ‘ridiculous’ £100 fine after pulling over to sneeze

You’re having a fit of the sneezes behind the wheel, so you pull over. Sounds sensible, right? Well, this driver got fined for doing just that…

Steven Savage was fined £100 by a private parking company after he pulled over in a “restricted area” for a total of 26 seconds to sneeze.

The 37-year-old labelled the fine ‘ridiculous’, saying he only stopped because he feared causing an accident.

Safety first?

Steven made the quick decision to pull over on James Watson Road near Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, when a flurry of sneezes left him unable to see the road clearly.

The driver pulled over for under half a minute, waiting until the sneezing had passed before continuing on his journey.  

He said: “When you’re having a sneezing fit the wise thing to do is pull over and let it finish – you don’t feel fully in control when you’re sneezing and it is dangerous to drive.”

However, 10 days later, he was slapped with a parking charge notice from private company, National Parking Enforcement Ltd, which manages the road.

The penalty notice demanded a payment of £100, or a reduced charge of £60 if paid within 14 days, for stopping in a restricted area.

Appealing against the fine

Despite having the option to reduce his fine, Steven is determined to appeal against the charge out of principle.

He commented: “To be honest I’m a bit blasé about the fine. It is annoying and it does create a bit of stress but these companies don’t scare me.

“As the road is close to the hospital there could be patients visiting who are briefly dropped off to receive treatment and then suddenly slapped with a huge fine.

“That is really what shocked me the most and I think it is outrageous.”

National Parking Enforcement Ltd is yet to respond to the appeal.

Did you know, certain parking restrictions are among the motoring laws that could be changing this year? Find out about all the recent and upcoming changes with our 2020 guide to motoring laws.