A diabetic motorist has been slapped with a £120 fine after he pulled over when his blood sugar levels dropped to dangerous levels.
Andy Lindsay, 52, suffered a hypoglycaemic attack while driving and pulled into an industrial estate until he was safe to set off again.
However, during his short stay in the industrial estate he was snapped by a
private parking enforcement officer and given a parking penalty.
Symptoms of hypoglycaemia include dizziness, nausea, confusion and drowsiness.
The sales rep has appealed the fine three times and provided evidence of his condition, but the parking company that handed out the penalty have threatened to take him to court.
Father-of-one Andy was diagnosed with type one diabetes aged 11 and sufferers are advised by the DVLA that it is dangerous to drive when blood sugar levels drop below 5mmols (millimoles per litre).
Bronwyn, Andy’s wife, said the firm has shown “no common sense” in dealing with the issue.
She said: “We understand the fine, but what we don’t understand is that we have appealed it three times now and there seems to be no common sense.
“Imagine if he had carried on driving and killed someone – I’m sure the family of that person would have asked, ‘why didn’t you pull over?’
“I don’t think they would have understood if he had said, ‘well I didn’t want to get a fine’.”
Andy, from Leeds, West Yorks., had pulled over onto the Calder Park Industrial Estate next to the M1 in Wakefield to let the symptoms pass.
A private parking enforcement officer took a photograph of his car and he was hit with a £100 fine back in March by Excel Parking, which also operates under the name Vehicle Control Services Ltd.
The fine has since increased to £120 – and will rise to £180 plus court costs if the couple lose the appeal in court.
Bronwyn, 47, a hairdresser, added: “If it had been a council parking ticket I’m sure they would have used common sense and let us off by now.
“This company feels like it’s just a money-making scheme and nothing to do with parking or safety. He could have been dead at the wheel for all they cared.”
Andy said he noticed symptoms of hypoglycaemia while driving and decided to pull over before they got worse.
He pulled into a layby in an unbuilt section of the industrial estate, where he stayed for around 15 minutes until his blood sugar returned to a safe level.
He said: “I am very fortunate that I get a lot of notice in my symptoms. My heart starts to race and that’s the first sign my sugars are low.
“I pulled over into a layby that wasn’t in anybody’s way and wasn’t affecting anyone.”
Andy had a diabetic kit in his car and made sure he didn’t start to drive again until his levels were safe.
He added: “I had some Lucozade in the car, tested my blood sugar levels after I’d drank some of that and it was still below the legal limit of five so I gave it a few more minutes and when it was back at seven, I set off again.
“I was there for no longer than 15 minutes in total.”
Andy said his appeals have fallen on deaf ears, despite providing evidence of his medical condition.
He said: “They came back to me and said they weren’t accepting my reason and told me I can appeal further.
“I appealed to the Independent Appeals Service, but they ruled on the side of the company.
“I think that operators like this are just legalised scammers. They aren’t interested in looking after the streets in a deeper way like the police or traffic wardens. They are purely about making money.
“There is just a lack common sense or decency. The health and safety of other road users should come first.
“If I had carried on driving and caused a big car accident, would they have helped or would they have taken photos of other cars and gave them fines as well?”