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Driver caught by Norway speed camera seven times in eight days

The Local Norway
The Local Norway - [email protected]
Driver caught by Norway speed camera seven times in eight days
File photo: Jon Olav Nesvold / NTB scanpix

A 39-year-old man from Tromsø faces a 9,000 kroner (930 euros) fine which could also cost him his livelihood after passing a police camera above the speed limit seven times in eight days.

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A faulty speedometer caused the repeated offence, which could result in the man being barred from working as a taxi driver, reports newspaper VG.

“I have not done anything wrong, I just want to work, but I am not going to be allowed to,” the man said to VG.

The man is accused of passing a speed camera on the E8 road near Tromsø at 82 km/h on September 3rd 2016. The speed limit is 70 km/h. Following the initial offence, the man passed the same speed camera at a speed in excess of the limit six times over seven days.

He faces a fine for five of those seven offences and will be disqualified from a taxi driving license, writes VG.

The issue was first reported by local media Nordlys.

The man, who has appealed the case at the Supreme Court, says that he saw the light on the speed camera flash, but that his speedometer did not show that he was in excess of the legal limit.

Testing later showed that the car’s speed dial did indeed display incorrectly.

But a judge in the case ruled that the man “should have realised that the car’s speedometer was showing the speed as too low,” since the police equipment consistently flashed when he drove past it, according to VG’s report.

His defence lawyer Svein Kristian Wikstrøm told VG he did not agree with that assessment.

“It is difficult to understand why the court is saying that he should have realised after two times [seeing the camera flash],” Wikstrøm said.

The 39-year-old, who came to Norway from Syria five years ago, is currently not in employment but has taken the relevant certifications to work as a taxi driver in Norway, according to the report.

His 2017 application for a taxi licence was rejected due to the speeding offences, writes VG.

“I came to Norway to secure a future for me and my family, not to lay around sleeping. I have used a lot of money to gain the certificate and taxi qualification, but because the car showed an error, I can’t work. This has been a very stressful affair for me,” he said to the newspaper.

Wikstrøm added that the punishment was particularly harsh on the man, given it had the extra effect of preventing him from working.

“He is receiving payments from NAV [Norwegian state income support payments, ed.] and feels as though he is a burden on society. He wants to work but is not being allowed to. This ruling has significant consequences for him,” the lawyer said to VG.

READ ALSO: Norway taxi drivers hope for easing of 'university level' language requirement

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