From the Eastern Daily Press: 'A Lowestoft man has lodged an official complaint with Suffolk police after being fined for unfastening his seatbelt while he waited for the town’s bascule bridge to reopen.
He was sitting in his car in stationary traffic with his engine switched off and handbrake applied, when he unfastened his seat-belt as he waited for the bridge to come down.
Despite belting up again before he drove off, he was stopped by the police and given a £60 fine for failing to wear his belt.
He said the incident happened on Saturday, October 9, while he and his wife were driving south on the A12, away from Lowestoft town centre, and the bridge was raised to allow two yachts to pass.
“There were about four or five cars in front of us and I could tell that we were going to be waiting for at least five minutes and probably more,” he said. “I applied the handbrake, stopped the engine and took off my seatbelt.
“When the bridge came down, I put my seatbelt back on before starting the engine and continuing.”
But having travelled less than half a mile, he was pulled over by an unmarked police car and was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice for £60 for driving without a seatbelt.
“At no time was I ever driving without a seatbelt; the only time I did not have it on was when we were stationary at the bridge, with the handbrake on and the engine switched off.”
He queried this point with the officer, and says she told him that he should have kept his seatbelt on to ensure he that he did not suffer whiplash injuries if his vehicle was hit from behind.'
Would you believe it? Vince should be pinched.
