London – A London man was fined and had his license suspended for more than a year for driving dangerously in order to make it to his destination before Shabbos.
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The incident took place on July 29th, reported the BBC. 27 year old Jehoshua Gross was headed to Llandudno, Conwy a seaside resort in North Wales located approximately 240 miles northwest of London, when he was in what authorities describe as a “no fault” collision with a truck.
Gross’s car sustained severe front end damage in the crash but he continued driving for 60 miles, taking to the shoulder of the road on three different highways for an extended period of time to avoid traffic.
As he neared his destination, parts of Gross’s car flew off in Colwyn Bay, another seaside resort.
A driver followed Gross to Llandudno an contacted police who confiscated Gross’s vehicle. Gross told police that he continued driving after the accident because he had to get to Llandudno before Shabbos.
PC Scott Martin of the North Wales Roads Policing Unit called Gross’s driving a “real risk of serious injury to other persons.”
According to the Jewish Chronicle, Officer Martin said that Gross’s vehicle was in “dangerous condition” as he drove through highways, “a residential area and town centre.”
Gross pleaded guilty in court on Monday and was fined approximately $550. He was also banned from driving for 15 months and will need to take a driving test before he will be permitted on the roads again.
He could have killed some one. I see cars on my street speeding to get home, killing squirrels or anything in their path. Last week I was almost killed in front of my house.
Better to be mechalal Shabbos than injure one innocent person.
#3, no better to have taken a taxi after the accident. It would have cost less than the fine and been safer.