A white van driver has been handed a criminal conviction and a £266 court bill for tooting his horn to attract a friend's attention. Jamie Spence, 52, was spotted by an Essex Police officer while sounding his horn outside Braintree train station on December 4 last year.
Details of the incident
The officer reported the driver for "sounding an unauthorised audible warning instrument on a vehicle", sparking a criminal prosecution. PC Asa Smith told a court he had started watching Spence's Ford Transit van after suspecting the driver was travelling over the 20mph speed limit on his approach to the train station.
"When outside the station, subject vehicle hooted horn a number of times to try and get the attention of a friend, not for the purpose of warning other road users," the officer wrote, in a statement to Colchester Magistrates' Court.
Court outcome
Spence pleaded guilty to the charge. At a hearing last week, magistrate Richard Deacon sentenced him to a £146 fine with an order to also pay £120 in costs. Court documents show that Spence, from Chelmsford, was offered the chance to settle the case out of court but did not respond to a police offer to pay a fixed penalty fine. The case was handled under the Single Justice Procedure, which deals with low-level crimes behind closed doors.
Essex Police decided to bring a criminal charge on April 29. The magistrate passed sentence on May 12, deciding on Spence's case among 110 criminal cases dealt with that day.
Other motoring prosecutions
Also last week, motorists across England and Wales were prosecuted for offences including failing to maintain their windscreen wipers, driving the wrong way up a motorway slip road, and attending an illegal road race.
RAC guidance on horn use
The RAC advises motorists that the Highway Code says drivers "should only use a car horn when they need to alert other road users of danger of a collision or in the event of a potentially dangerous situation. It can also be used to alert drivers when approaching a blind spot or corner." The RAC adds: "Misuse of a car horn is illegal and can result in fines for the driver and owner of the vehicle."
