An Australian man caught speeding in his Lamborghini may have tried to wriggle out of a ticket by claiming to be on his way to get tested for COVID-19, but the excuse backfired when police called his bluff.
Police spotted the driver traveling up to 99 mph (160 kph) in a 55 mph (70 kph) zone on the M4 highway in western Sydney, reports Car Advice. Once pulled over, the 35-year-old behind the wheel reportedly told officers that he was en route to Westmead Hospital to be tested for coronavirus.
Rather than send him on his way to avoid the illness themselves, authorities issued the driver a traffic infringement and suspended his drivers’ license on the spot. The Lamborghini driver then reportedly traveled directly to the hospital to enter mandatory self-isolation, which The Guardian reports to be a period of 14 days.
“Drivers shouldn’t break the road rules under any circumstances,” commented Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy, of the Commander of Traffic and Highway Patrol Command. “Speeding endangers the life of motorists as well as pedestrians.”
Incidents of reckless driving such as this have become increasingly common with road traffic at its lowest in decades. This past Sunday, police in Oakland, California had to shut down multiple instances of exhibition driving, arresting three people and towing a dozen cars in the process. Up in Toronto, Canada, street racing has become rampant, leading authorities to charge 18 people with “stunt driving” over a single weekend in late March. Going out for a drive may be one of the wisest things you can do while maintaining social distance, but do the smart thing, and keep your speeds legal—don’t spread our first responders any thinner than they are already.
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