" Artics " Banned for Under-21s
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I S a youth under 21 years of age per mitted to drive an articulated vehicle? This point was argued before South Lonsdale magistrates, Lancaster, last week, when Claude Wills, 17., of Meadow Cottages, Warwick Bridge, Carlisle, pleaded not guilty to driving an articulated lorry while under 21 and driving without insurance, but guilty to driving the vehicle at over 20 m.p.h.
His father, Richard Wills, 46, denied permitting the first two offences.
Chief, Supt. A. Thompson, prosecuting, said the younger defendant, being under 21, was disqualified from driving an articulated lorry which, with the semi-trailer, weighed 41 tons unladen. The boy had told the police that his father had made inquiries and believed he was allowed to drive the vehicle. .An s insurance certificate had been produced.
Claude Wills said he had passed a driving test with a similar lorry after being advised that under Section 9 (3) of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, the only vehicles which he could not legally drive were heavy locomotives, light locomotives, motor tractors and heavy motorcars.
He was under the impression that when the tractor of an articulated outfit did not exceed 3 tons unladen it was looked upon as a motorcar with a trailer. The weight of this tractor was 2 tom 17 cwt.
Mr. T. H. C. Wardlaw, defending, submitted that the vehicle was, in law, a motorcar and trailer. Supt. Thompson contended it was one vehicle, weighing more than 4 tons.
Mr. A. J. Gibson, chairman, said the magistrates had weighed up all the probabilities, but had come to the conclusion that it constituted one vehicle.
"We have decided that having regard to the attitude of both father and son being under the impression they were in order, we fix a penalty of £1 in each case.".
• Defendants were allowed 14 days in which to pay, as Mr. Wardlaw had said an appeal would be considered.
On the speeding charge the boy was fined £3.