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Lewis Hamilton escaped $150 in fine for violating road safety rules in New Zealand

Samriddhi Jaiswal
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Lewis Hamilton escaped $150 in fine for violating road safety rules in New Zealand

Lewis Hamilton ran into trouble with the New Zealand police for violating the road safety rules while driving in 2016.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton got into trouble with the New Zealand police in 2016 after posting a series of Snapchat videos while driving a Harley Davidson.

The British F1 star was in Auckland before flying off to Australia for the first race of the 2016 championship season.

Hamilton posted several Snapchat clips of his adventure while driving his motorbike on a busy motorway at about 60 km/h. In the video, Hamilton shows off his Harley Davidson before taking it for a ride. Later, he reveals his face and the traffic on the three-lane motorway behind him.

Following the video, he was investigated by the Auckland City Police. It is illegal in New Zealand to use a mobile phone while driving a vehicle. This rule has been in existence since 2009 and the punishment is a fine of $150 and 20 demerit points.

Also Read: Lewis Hamilton and Justin Bieber’s $17,139 adrenaline rush levels up their bromance

Lewis Hamilton was let off the hook by police

Following the release of the clips, the local police took note of the videos showing the Mercedes star riding the bike, but they ended up letting him off. Due to this Hamilton escaped from paying the fine.

A police spokesperson said, “Auckland City Police will be taking no further action in relation to recent media publicity about Lewis Hamilton and his motorcycle journey in Auckland.”

“The video footage available does not provide us with sufficient enough evidence that an offence has occurred.”

“We would like to reiterate that police take the issue of mobile phone use whilst driving or riding very seriously. It is a significant distraction and a major risk to all road users,” the spokesperson further added.”

Furthermore, this is not the first time that the F1 star has been involved in driving-related incidents. In 2010, the Briton was fined $363 for doing a burnout. He was also fined and even had his driving license revoked in France in 2007 for speeding.

Hamilton also crashed his $1.8 Million customised Pagani Zonda into several stationary cars in Monaco before blaming the incident on heavy partying.

Also Read: Lewis Hamilton chosen as $20 million driver’s best teammate

About the author

Samriddhi Jaiswal

Samriddhi Jaiswal

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Samriddhi Jaiswal is an F1 editor and writer at The SportsRush. She started her career as a business journalist but soon found her calling in lights out here we go! Samriddhi has been a Ferrari fan even when her interaction with F1 was occasional. Her first real experience with the thrilling sport came when Charles Leclerc clinched his iconic victory in Spa and Monza and painted the track red. Now, a Tifosi, Samriddhi is a hardcore fan of the prancing horse and can relate to the chaos within the Italian camp and also admires Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Off the track, she finds her home in books and musical instruments.

Read more from Samriddhi Jaiswal

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