telegraph article

Another strange decision…

it not a mistake a national here could make but you can see why a tourist would.

good news though as the scots welsh and irish can still do it its only applies to the english

Alexis Sebastien Fleury, 25, should be blamed less than an Englishman for the fatal accident because he was driving correctly under French rules, a top judge said.

well that is what the reporter wrote despite quoting the judge a little later

The culpability of a British driver in the same circumstances would have been very high indeed. The culpability of a British driver in the same circumstances would have been very high indeed.

Another strange decision…

Is it really that strange. ?

I don’t see it that way really.

I agree, a native would be completely beyond the pale doing that. A visitor who makes a mistake is more forgiveable. Its terribly unfortunate but we all make mistakes.

The irony is if your British especially a wealthy doctor with a good brief you’ll get of scot free.

Dr Death

and I suppose it is an accident and not deliberate. the French lad is going to have to live with that for the rest of his life. an unimaginably horrible situation for all concerned.

the worry is the implications such sentencing may have on future cases involving foreign drivers…

Lots of sympathy for the guy. Been there. It’s easy to say it’s easy to get it right all the time. But it’s not.

When touring France on motorbikes I watched a mate of mine leave a petrol station late at night and head up a dual carriageway on the wrong side of the road. He came back a few minutes later looking very sheepish.

It’s easily done.

the worry is the implications such sentencing may have on future cases involving foreign drivers…

Do you think the decision was wrong? If not, why would it be wrong in any similar future case?

I’m certainly not one for letting drivers off lightly, but in comparison with the sentences handed out to British drivers who do far less excusable things, I’d suggest he’s not got off all that lightly.

Err, whatever happened to “Ignorance of the law being no excuse” That’s the usual pearl of wisdom that the judiciary wheel out before sending you off to jail. By driving on British roads you agree to the T & C’s. Total bullshit decision IMO. The implications of this are mind boggling 🙁

Err, whatever happened to “Ignorance of the law being no excuse” That’s the usual pearl of wisdom that the judiciary wheel out before sending you off to jail. By driving on British roads you agree to the T & C’s. Total bullshit decision IMO. The implications of this are mind boggling

It’s not ignorance of the law. I’m sure he was well aware that he should have been driving on the left.

It’s a mistake, no intent to break any law or do anyone any harm.

Err, whatever happened to “Ignorance of the law being no excuse” That’s the usual pearl of wisdom that the judiciary wheel out before sending you off to jail. By driving on British roads you agree to the T & C’s. Total bullshit decision IMO. The implications of this are mind boggling
It’s not ignorance of the law. I’m sure he was well aware that he should have been driving on the left.

This. Unless you’ve actually driven in another country where you use the opposite side of the road, contrary to years of driving on the other side, then you’re not really in a position to criticise. Having driven in America, on complicated interchanges, in a left-hand drive automatic, it’s staggeringly easy to find yourself heading directly for another car on the wrong side of the road, to the accompaniment of flashing headlights and blaring horn. Good thing it was dark, the other driver couldn’t see me blushing furiously! 😳

Err, whatever happened to “Ignorance of the law being no excuse”

If it was an excuse then there would have been no charges to face. The law is black and white but the circumstances and consequences of the law being broken are all sorts of shades of grey. The law takes no account of those shades but sentencing does. That is the ‘judgement’ that ‘judges’ are paid making.