Interesting Aussie scam: slide out of fines by blaming dead guy or
non-resident.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/11/13/australia.speeding.ap/index.html

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Hundreds of Australian drivers have come up
with a way to weasel out of tickets: Blame it on a dead guy.

More than 200 motorists have avoided parking and speeding fines by
accusing either a dead man or an out-of-state resident for their
errors, police said Saturday.

Under New South Wales state law, if car owners sign a sworn statement
that they were not driving the vehicle when an offense was committed,
they can avoid paying speed camera fines that arrive by mail and
parking tickets left under windshield wipers.

A recent government audit of the excuses given in those sworn
statements revealed that 238 motorists had blamed one of two people: a
dead man and a person living in neighboring South Australia state,
Police Superintendent Daryl Donnolly said in a statement.

Police say a 53-year-old businessman from South Australia has been
unfairly flooded with traffic fines. He believes the scam started after
he rented a sports car in Sydney.

Some $61,000 of fines have been avoided this way in the past three
years, Donnolly said. He said car owners charged with swearing false
statements face up to five years' imprisonment if convicted.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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WWAJD?