Man gets banned from driving for one year after going 60mph with hands behind head (with video)
Across the pond in England, Whitby resident Richard Newton told authorities he was only, “having a stretch” when they caught him on camera driving 60mph with his hands behind his head. As the Mirror reports, the court determined the only thing being stretched was the truth and sentenced him to year-long driving ban.
The Guardian notes the incident, which happened in August last year, happened near Scaling Dam in the county of North Yorkshire. Police saw Newton, for 25 seconds, drive at a high speed with no hands on the wheel despite the road not being straight, nor flat, and even though there were cars passing him in the opposite direction.
The BBC notes that Mr. Newton claims he was in control of the car, but the argument didn’t convince anybody. Prosecutor Martin Hawes, according to the Mirror, put forth that Newton was, “showing off,” which Newton denied saying he had only been stretching because of a, “medical condition.”
Presiding Magistrate Nicola Dennis did not go along with the medical condition excuse, saying, “We do not accept the reasons put forward amount to special reasons. It's unacceptable a person would drive without hands on the wheel. It can have serious consequences for road safety."
Newton expressed remorse after being found guilty. ITV notes that, in addition his ban from driving, the hands-free driver will have to do 100 hours of community service and pay a £625 ($1,025) fine.
More info: Mirror,The Guardian,BBC, ITV
