A teenage German driver recently got the disappointment of his life after he lost his license … a mere 49 minutes after he managed to get it.
The 18-year-old driver decided to celebrate his newfound freedom by taking four of his friends on a joyride. Soon, he was going 45 kph (30 mph) over the speed limit — 95 kph (59 mph) in a 50 kph (31 mph) zone. Only an hour before, he had passed his driving test.
It’s not an easy thing to get a driver’s license in Germany.
Driving tests are extremely difficult and can range up to 1,000 euros ($1,135.60 USD) just to take it. It’s common for teens to fail their driving test multiple times before managing to get their license. So, it’s not a great idea to play fast and loose with that privilege. Unluckily for the teen driver, he’s got quite a way to go before he gets his license back.
He won’t get the license back for a month. Meanwhile, he is being mandated to take more driving lessons before that can happen.
On top of all that, the teen is facing a hefty fine of 200 euros ($227.12 USD).
Commenters on the Märkischer Kreis Police page had plenty to say about the unruly 18-year-old. Some were compassionate … most were not.
“The driving school can’t fix what’s gone wrong for 18 years,” wrote Facebook user Nicole Sag.
The German police department thought it was likely that the teen’s crazy driving was at least in part in an attempt to show off for his passengers.
Some social media commenters thought the situation was funny.
Others were more annoyed at the youth’s lack of safety and responsibility.
“Someone like this should never be able to get his driver’s license again,” wrote Facebook user Christine Lokat. “It’s bad enough that he’s putting himself in danger …but he’s also endangering others.”
Regardless, it was probably a hard lesson for the teen, who now has a lot of work before he gets the privilege of having his driver’s license back again. He should probably be grateful that local police didn’t publish his name.
It’s not just in Germany that young drivers have been known to drive irresponsibly.
Back in August 2017, a 20-year-old man in Harrogate, England, had his license suspended for two years. Why? Because he and his drunken friend decided to try “skitching.”
Skitching is when someone sits or stands on a wheeled vehicle and grabs on to the back of a moving car, rolling along behind it. It’s extremely dangerous and apparently when you’ve had a few drinks, something that seems absolutely hilarious.
The driver, Michael Ward, and his friend William MacPherson used a wheelchair. They were driving from a local pub in the middle of the night to McDonald’s. The street was wet with rain, and the two men were inebriated, but clearly, the fast food run was more important. Even though the ride was an obviously dangerous, the men decided to go for it anyway.
It’s a lot to pay for a Big Mac.
A video shows they narrowly avoided disaster several times. MacPherson occasionally lost his hold on the car’s bumper. Once, Ward backed straight into him. Both men were charged with crimes: Ward with reckless driving and MacPherson with “holding onto a vehicle for the purpose of being drawn.” They were each hit with fines, and Ward was ordered to do 200 hours of community service.
“Ward and MacPherson acted selfishly that night,” said Officer Rob Roberts. “They paid no regard to the safety of other road users or pedestrians and chose to act in a dangerous manner.”
Then, there’s the unusual case of 69-year-old Earle Stevens of Florida.
He tried to use a loophole in the law when police stopped him back in June 2018. McDonald’s and alcohol were also involved in this case. After a woman called the local police to say that Stevens had incessantly tapped her car while sitting behind her in a fast food drive-thru, he was pulled over by law enforcement in Vero Beach.
The cause? Stevens was very drunk. Police said he smelled strongly of alcohol and had a bottle of Jim Beam in the seat beside him. It was empty, but Stevens insisted he hadn’t been drinking while driving. But he had been drinking — at stop signs.
Stevens did add that he also had been drinking steadily throughout the course of the day.
Officers then administered a sobriety test.
Stevens’ blood alcohol content was double the legal limit. He also did not have a valid driver’s license in the state of Florida, which meant he was in trouble in more ways than one.
If there’s anything to learn from these irresponsible drivers, it’s that driving is a privilege that can be taken away. So, drive carefully, and if you’ve been drinking, don’t go to McDonald’s — be safe and order in.
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