Money Moral Dilemma: Should I pay my friend's speeding fine?

Former_MSE_Darryl
Former_MSE_Darryl Former MSE Posts: 210 Forumite
edited 30 April 2014 at 12:32PM in MoneySaving polls
Here's this week's hypothetical situation for you to cogitate on:
Should I pay my friend's speeding fine?

A friend of mine was giving me a lift one night, and was caught by a fixed camera and given a speeding fine. As he was going out of his way to drop me off, should I pay his fine?
Click reply to have your say

[threadbanner]box[/threadbanner]
«134567

Comments

  • Tiggy10
    Tiggy10 Forumite Posts: 443
    Tenth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    No way! Its not your fault your friend was speeding. He could have been driving anywhere NOT out of his way and been caught- his choice to speed, he has to face the consequences.
    Paying it all off in 2017:
    Finance 1- [STRIKE]115[/STRIKE] Paid Jan 2017
    Finance 2- 335
    CC - [STRIKE]2000[/STRIKE]1800
    OD 1 - [STRIKE]2200[/STRIKE] 1850
    OD 2 - 2500
  • ALR
    ALR Forumite Posts: 162 Forumite
    No, definitely not! You weren't the one driving the vehicle, you had no control over the speed that you were going, so it wasn't your fault that your friend got a speeding ticket! They may have been going out of their way but all you should justifiably give is a contribution towards the petrol it may have cost them! Them going out of their way isn't an excuse for their speeding.
    :starmod: :starmod: :starmod: "Live like you mean it, Love 'til you feel it" :starmod: :starmod: :starmod:
    - The Goo Goo Dolls
  • pc1271
    pc1271 Forumite Posts: 279 Forumite
    Did you ask him to hurry because you were late? In that case, then as a friend I'd offer to pay it. Otherwise, absolutely not.
  • svmitche
    svmitche Forumite Posts: 592 Forumite
    Unless you were putting on the pressure to get there quick, no way! It's his choice to break the speed limit...
    I'm so sexy it's a wonder my underpants don't explode.
  • scotsbob
    scotsbob Forumite Posts: 4,632 Forumite
    Depends if you expect any more lifts, or favours, from this friend.

    If you don't then don't pay.

    If you do then you may want to consider helping your friend out, after all he helped you out.
  • mr-tom_2
    mr-tom_2 Forumite Posts: 131 Forumite
    edited 30 April 2014 at 6:14AM
    So the penalty must legally remain in their name (i.e. They take the points); failure to do tell the truth about the driver can land you in prison (even if you're an MP!) :D

    Whether you offer them some money to share the cost of the ticket is at your discretion and depends on the circumstances of the incident. As others have said:
    -were you or the driver late for something? if so, whose fault was the lateness?
    -were you distracting the driver?
    -regardless of that will this impact your friendship and are you dependant on future lifts?

    If you were the cause of lateness, hurry, were a distraction or if you are worried about this impacting the friendship /likelihood of future lifts, then by all means offer to pay half the cost of the fine to your friend as a goodwill gesture.

    I am quite a fan of yellow fixed speed cameras that are sensibly sited. They don't catch people speeding, they catch people who are speeding WHERE they aren't looking where they are going; the principle being that if you can't notice a huge dayglow yellow box that's visible from some way off, you'll probably also not notice the child wandering out between two parked cars.

    I have no problem with speed, I just think the driver ought to pay attention, which I think is a reasonable demand.

    Before anybody replies to say, "ah, but I was caught by a mobile or disguised speed camera so you're talking rubbish", note that I said "yellow fixed speed cameras that are sensibly sited". And if I recall correctly, there is regulation prohibiting the disguise of cameras - the driver must be warned and the cameras must be visible from a considerable distance, which increases in line with the speed limit.
  • macaroni
    macaroni Forumite Posts: 447
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Photogenic
    Forumite
    No, not unless you asked him to drive quickly/speed. He is responsible for his driving, not you, even if he was doing you a favour.
    :hello:
  • rachiibell
    rachiibell Forumite Posts: 300 Forumite
    I agree with other posters unless it was your fault one or both of you were running late then personally I wouldn't pay. As the driver I wouldn't accept a friend paying anyway as it would be my own fault. Maybe offer to take them out for a meal or a drink if you feel bad and would like another favour in future.
  • pennypinchUK
    pennypinchUK Forumite Posts: 383 Forumite
    Did you ask your friend to speed? Probably not, so it's his responsibility to drive within the law. Don't pay.
  • anotheruser
    anotheruser Forumite Posts: 3,485
    Ninth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper I've been Money Tipped!
    Forumite
    As per others, if you pressured the driver to drive fast then you should pay half.
    If not, it's the drivers responsibility to drive in a safe manner.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 338.9K Banking & Borrowing
  • 248.7K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 447.6K Spending & Discounts
  • 230.8K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 601K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 171.1K Life & Family
  • 244.1K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards