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Money Moral Dilemma: Should my friends share the cost of my holiday speeding fine?

245

Comments

  • You were in control of the car it was you whom was speeding then you pay the fine. I think you are cheeky to even ask this question.
  • benedictadams
    benedictadams Posts: 932 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker Debt-free and Proud!
    Ask yourself this question 

    If you had been a passenger in the car and one of your friends had been in your situation would you in all honesty being willing to pay towards the fine 

    yes we would all like to think we would but then the excuses of well I would have been driving differently etc would come into our heads

    And if you are happy to chip into paying someone else's speeding fine in the dilemma but your friends are not then maybe you need to question why that is 
    Debt of £6300 cleared in 5 years, now ZERO
  • retired19
    retired19 Posts: 35 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 10 Posts Name Dropper
    You're the driver therefore you're responsible for paying..
  • This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...

     While on holiday abroad with three friends, we hired a car. We were in a country notorious for being strict on speeding, so we were extremely careful to obey the limits. However, coming down a hill, I slipped over the limit. There were police with a radar gun waiting, and they pulled us over and issued me with a fine for a hefty amount. Should I pay it as I was the driver, or is it fair to ask my friends to help cover the cost, as it was an innocent mistake rather than irresponsible driving?
    Unfortunately the MSE team can't answer Money Moral Dilemma questions as contributions are emailed in or suggested in person. They are intended to be a point of debate and discussed at face value. Remember that behind each dilemma there is a real person so, as the forum rules say, please keep it kind and keep it clean.

     B) If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply.
     :/ Got a Money Moral Dilemma of your own? Suggest an MMD.
     :# View past Money Moral Dilemmas.


    If there’s a parking or speeding fine while I am on holiday with my two companions, I am happy to pay a third towards it. I am being driven around and know the driver is neither careless nor foolhardy so any penalty will be momentary human error. 
  • Technically there's no question the driver is solely responsible. However, as the designated driver for a group, a momentary lapse resulting in a speeding fine surely deserves some assistance from the passengers to help with the costs.
  • Bonnypitlad
    Bonnypitlad Posts: 93 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 10 Posts
    You were driving, you pay your speeding fine. Simples
    If someone else was driving would you volunteer to pay their fine?
  • Scillydiver
    Scillydiver Posts: 13 Forumite
    Fourth Anniversary 10 Posts
    You were the driver so you own the problem, but I don't think much of your mates if they didn't offer to split the payment equally.
  • Did some, or all, of your 3 friends share the driving on the holiday, as well as the hire cost? If they did, were you ever aware that they were, even slightly, over the speed limit, at some point? If so, I think it's just that they share the cost, as it was just luck that you were the one who got caught on camera. Either way, if I were in your situation and they didn't offer to share the cost, I certainly wouldn't be prepared to share the driving on any future holiday with them. Their not offering you anything is like treating you as they, rightly, would a taxi driver who speeds and gets fined. But unlike the taxi driver, you driving them is a favour, not a paid-for business activity. 
  • Pollycat
    Pollycat Posts: 36,012 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Savvy Shopper!
    You knew the speed limit and you went above it so how can that be an innocent mistake?
  • SStitanic
    SStitanic Posts: 65 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 10 Posts
    No.you have to pay
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