Taxi Driver Online

Yet another buffoon thinking he is better than the law.

And ignoring the issue wont do him a lot of good once it's gets to court.

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IDFIMH

It has been to court already and ignoring it did not do him a lot of good.

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Grandad,

Are you Uriah Heep in disguise?

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Former taxi driver

I don't agree with the smoking ban... but at the end of the day, it's here to stay and rules are rules. This guy's been warned before so he just sounds foolish to me.

It's actually surprising the amount of taxi / PH / bus drivers that you do see smoking.

Up here the taxi drivers keep the smoking police in a job. i think they spend there day watching taxis drivers.Lots of drivers getting fined £30

Carlisle taxi driver fuming over lighted cigarette fine



A Carlisle taxi driver believes the law has gone too far after becoming the first person in the city to be prosecuted for smoking while alone in his cab.

Paul Dalgleish, 49, of Warwick Square, was fined the maximum of £200 by Carlisle magistrates earlier this week.

He must also pay £75 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

The driver, who has 25 years’ experience, stressed that there were no passengers in his cab at the time and said he would never have done it if there were.

He fears he may now have his license suspended by Carlisle City Council on top of the hefty fine, which stemmed from a £25 fixed penalty.

“I was between jobs when it happened, it was a rainy night so I decided just to wind the window down and smoke. It has turned out to be a very expensive cigarette,” he said.

Mr Dalgleish said he was initially given a £25 fixed penalty after being spotted by licensing officers but could not afford to pay it.

That later increased to £50 and again he chose to ignore it. But he claims he did not receive the summons in the post and had no idea he was due in court this week.

As a result he did not attend the hearing and was issued the maximum fine in his absence, which he hopes he will be able to pay in installments.

Although he said he accepts he has broken the law and has to pay the price, he believes the Smokefree legislation has now gone that bit too far as smoking in itself is not a crime.

“We all got the letters about it a while back but I’m not the only one who still does it. At the end of the day if you smoke 40-a-day and are out driving for most of it, you need a cigarette break,” he said.

He says in future he will make sure he gets out of his cab for a cigarette, but says he does think a £200 fine was a bit on the extreme side.

“At the end of the day the law is the law and I’ll have to abide by it but I do think it has gone a bit berserk,” he said. “I would never smoke if there were passengers in and I’m 100 per cent against smoking in restaurants, but I can’t see the harm if you’re on your own with the window down.

“If I had four drunken lads getting in my cab spilling food everywhere I can’t do much about it, but if I have a cigarette in my cab I get fined. You see people smoking in work vans all the time but nothing happens to them.

“I accept it but I don’t necessarily agree with it. I don’t understand the £15 victim surcharge either. Who is supposed to be the victim? There was nobody else there.”

source: http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Well you should have paid the fine when it was £25. The victim surcharge is put into a big pot to compensate the victims of crime and is payable by anyone found guilty of a crime.

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Grandad,

Ahhhhh......that'll be the reason his trackie bottoms have been dirty for 2 months then

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Urghhhhh how disgusting

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Apparently theres a facebook group.....Support taxi Daggy.

£1 to the person who starts a group...shoot taxi daggy and impound his trackies!

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Extract from facebook campaign, you gotta admire the english

Paul Dalgleish a taxi driver from Carlisle has been fined £300 for smoking in his taxi with the window open when he was between jobs and had no passangers in the car.

He was fined because the taxi is defined as a place of work.

He is not the only taxi driver who smokes in their car but he is the only one to receive this fine, they are trying to make an example of him! But, this man has a family and he could also have his taxi licence suspended, so how is he meant to provide for his children - probably have to go on benefits.

Daggy has been a taxi driver for over 20 yrs and feels these smoking laws are over the top.

People smoke outside hospitals, isnt this more of a concern.

The law states that if a taxi driver was to reavel to London they would have to do without a fag throughout the journey unless they stopped at a service station, which would add time to the journey. This is the case even if the driver is travelling alone with no passangers.

Most taxi drivers work long hours and in my opinion are entitled to a fag break.

How many of us smoke in our cars? It is expensive to own and run your own taxi. So most drivers tend to use their taxi for personal use too.

What if a drunk was to get in the taxi and light a fag up? what is the taxi driver meant to say to him without risking getting abuse or even worse beaten up, alot of taxi drivers have been assaulted off members of the public who are drunk.

Please join this group and show Daggy and his family your support. People can also contact the News and Star to leave their opinions
Thanks (read less)

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Perhaps we should join this group and point out the Law to these idiots or is that too strong a word perhaps muppets would be better

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Deserve everything they get.....




Obviously wasn't thinking about his children when lighting up his fag was he!

Funny how this letter did not arrive



“[quote=We all got the letters about it a while back but I’m not the only one who still does it. e[/quote]

and this one did

Carlisle taxi man launches campaign over smoking laws



A Carlisle taxi driver who was fined £200 for having a cigarette in his cab has launched a campaign against “unfair” smoking laws.





Paul Dalgleish

Related: Carlisle taxi driver fuming over lighted cigarette fine

About 125 people have already backed Paul Dalgleish on social networking site Facebook and now he plans to take his fight to Wembley.

Friends and relatives of the 49-year-old, of Warwick Square, plan to wear campaign T-shirts and hand out leaflets when Carlisle United take on Southampton in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final in London later this month.

Last week Mr Dalgleish became the first person in Carlisle to be prosecuted under smoking legislation.

It followed him being spotted smoking while alone in his taxi – which is classed by law as a place of work – by Carlisle City Council wardens.

Mr Dalgleish was initially issued with a fixed penalty notice but did not pay it, landing himself in court.

Carlisle Magistrates’ imposed the maximum fine of £200, plus £75 court costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

He has since spoken out against the fine, saying he was alone in his cab at the time, with the window down.

He believes the no smoking laws have now gone too far and has launched a campaign fighting for smokers’ rights and calling on the Government to rethink its laws.

People have been posting comments of support on the wall of his Facebook group, called Support Taxi Daggy – his nickname – and he is wearing his campaign T-shirt while out in his cab.

He believes it is unfair that people can smoke outside the hospital and in other public places without getting prosecuted, but he was punished for having a cigarette when there was nobody else there.

His supporters are even threatening to light up at Wembley – a no-smoking stadium – in protest.

“I just want to see some common sense. I would never have smoked if I’d had someone in my cab but I was on my own with the window down.

“The law’s the law and I’m not disputing the fine. But I do think the law itself is at fault, it has gone too far,” he said.


source: http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin