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AIBU?

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Original poster

Who should pay?

249 replies

CountryVic · 10/08/2024 11:34

Last month, 4 work colleagues were going in a work car to another office for the week. We were to meet at work for 7.30am and the drive was an hour, and we returned for 5pm. Two people were not able to drive, one has a frozen shoulder, and the other has not got a full licence (trainee) so the driving was left to myself and one other, let’s call her Sonia.
I drove every morning, and Sonia drove 4 of the 5 afternoons, all good. Until a speeding ticket arrived at work. My boss sent an email to all 4 staff advising as per policy that we signed when taking the car, this needs to be paid by the driver, so can we please confirm who was driving on Thursday afternoon at 4.36pm so they can update the details and have the ticket sent in the correct name and with licence details.
I responded to the email 2 days later when my manager called me to follow up, I had assumed Sonia had responded and taken ownership. I CC everyone in the email and confirmed Sonia was driving, but she replied saying she can't be sure and she thinks it was me! The other 2 staff said they think she drove, but it was a while ago so can’t be sure, so the manager had head office send the full ticket so he can see who the driver is. Of course it shows Sonia, we look nothing alike, but she still says she does not think she should be held fully responsible.
The ticket is $260 and Sonia is suggesting that we split it 4 ways paying $65 each and as we all benefitted from driving together. The other staff member with the frozen shoulder agrees that this is fairest, I disagree and have said no, I won’t be paying this.
On Friday morning I got an email saying this needs to be resolved on Monday, if we can not agree then we have to to attend a meeting with the manager and someone from corporate services as they oversee the work car bookings.
The manager has said it’s up to us how to handle it, reminded us we’re all one team, here for one another but I have said there is nothing to handle, the photograph shows Sonia driving, she should pay the fine, it’s a legal document and nothing to do with work at all. I am happy to go to the meeting and advise this.
The other staff member has put $65 in an envelope for the manager, the trainee has said she’s not got any spare cash until payday and could she pay it over a few pays, I have said there is no expectation for anyone by but Sonia to pay as she was the one with her foot on the accelerator!
Am I wrong here?

OP posts:
Poodleydoodley · 12/08/2024 00:51

I car pooled on a work trip once. The other person drove like a lunatic way above the speed limit most of the time. No way I’d have shared a fine if she’d got one. Or a car ever again!

SnozPoz · 12/08/2024 06:22

If you were talking about sharing the cost of fuel, obviously it should be split. But you're talking about Sonia's bad driving. She should not have been speeding and she needs to take ownership of that. When she got behind that wheel she took full responsibility of how it was being driven... that includes paying fines for breaking the law. She should pay in full

FuckingFreezing · 12/08/2024 07:25

Grammarnut · 10/08/2024 12:27

Sonia broke the speed limit. Sonia pays the fine. No-one else had their foot on the accelerator.

This. Stick to your guns OP and good on you for calling her out on her bullshit. She's absolutely ripping the piss.

Wheelz46 · 12/08/2024 08:07

Yeah no way would I split that cost.

The person responsible for paying is the person who is getting those points slapped on their licence.

You can't share out the penalty points so why should the fine be split!

KarenandFour · 12/08/2024 08:12

Sonia should pay. She was the one speeding

TimetoPour · 12/08/2024 08:33

Sonia broke the law, Sonia pays the fine.

If the manager wants someone to pay to aid “the harmony of the team” then perhaps they should put their hand in their pockets.

easylikeasundaymorn · 12/08/2024 10:17

Hisapsy · 11/08/2024 18:52

Sonia is the driver, she’s taking the points. Fine.

However, I can see how this feels like a massive smack in the face for her though. She’s working to earn money, she’s done more than her fair share of driving (injury/trainee reasons are irrelevant - those are not Sonia’s problem or responsibility - but nevertheless it’s something that was put on her to sort out - by the fact that she’s done more than her 25% share of the driving).

I think a contribution from others would be reasonable. Not a full 25%, smaller I think. Just an acknowledgement that the injured person and the trainee have both benefitted from sitting back as passengers whilst Sonia drove after a day’s work. Particularly as the infringement (if it’s 12kmph on a 100kmph road) is a little over 10% so not obscene.

But if work didn't offer a car sharing agreement or if there weren't any passengers then Sonia would have been be driving there and back EVERYTIME so she wasn't inconvenienced by others not driving. She would have incurred the fine whether there were passengers in the car or not so its unfair to expect them to pay for her bad driving!

If they wanted to contribute that's nice but there should be no moral obligation at all. If Sonia or op weren't going then the person with a shoulder injury would have had to get a taxi - would they be expected to pay if the taxi driver got a ticket?

If op drove too fast every time she drove so they ended up with 6 tickets in total i can't imagine Sonia would be happy paying 390 quid in the spirit of sharing it fairly and would be all too quick to say "no thanks ill just pay the 260 for my ticket!"

WhereDoWeGoFromHereBill · 12/08/2024 10:18

Hisapsy · 11/08/2024 18:52

Sonia is the driver, she’s taking the points. Fine.

However, I can see how this feels like a massive smack in the face for her though. She’s working to earn money, she’s done more than her fair share of driving (injury/trainee reasons are irrelevant - those are not Sonia’s problem or responsibility - but nevertheless it’s something that was put on her to sort out - by the fact that she’s done more than her 25% share of the driving).

I think a contribution from others would be reasonable. Not a full 25%, smaller I think. Just an acknowledgement that the injured person and the trainee have both benefitted from sitting back as passengers whilst Sonia drove after a day’s work. Particularly as the infringement (if it’s 12kmph on a 100kmph road) is a little over 10% so not obscene.

What rubbish.

She could have said "no" to driving, she could have driven properly, she could have kept to the law.

All her choices.

Why should others now chip in just because now she decides her choices were bad ones?

Lovethat · 12/08/2024 12:06

I worked for a fleet company and we had our own fleet of cars.

Sonia should pay and take the points, no if buts or maybes. She was driving, it was her responsibility to ensure she drove within the law so she needs to take accountability for it.

There's no way I'd put my hand in my pocket

taxguru · 12/08/2024 12:43

Lovethat · 12/08/2024 12:06

I worked for a fleet company and we had our own fleet of cars.

Sonia should pay and take the points, no if buts or maybes. She was driving, it was her responsibility to ensure she drove within the law so she needs to take accountability for it.

There's no way I'd put my hand in my pocket

I agree, same in the firms where I've worked. When we wanted to use a pool car, we had to sign it out with a declaration that the driver was liable for all fines etc., a bit like a hire car agreement.

Unless the others in OP's situation were pressurising the driver to speed for some reason (i.e. late for something), then the driver is 100% liable and no way should the others be even partly liable. Even if someone was encouraging her to speed, it's still her liability as she's the driver and should be complying with traffic laws.

Askingforafriendtoday · 12/08/2024 17:52

BrownBirdWelcomesWhiteWave · 10/08/2024 11:36

How fast was she driving for a fine that big?

Technically she should pay

Morally? Probably too

For the sake of team dynamics, split

This on Sonia. She takes responsibility which she tried to duck out of by not being sure who drove... come on, there were only 2 potential drivers!
Additionally, she put all her passengers and other road users at risk by choosing to drive over the speed limit. Terrible example to the trainee too in terms of driving, responsibility, duty of care to other road users etc.
Not impressed by the manager's implication that they should all pitch in either. Speed kills.

lanthanum · 12/08/2024 17:55

"My boss sent an email to all 4 staff advising as per policy that we signed when taking the car, this needs to be paid by the driver, "

Seems quite clear - her responsibility. If the policy you had signed had said that any speeding fines would be divided between you, then you would perhaps have been watching her speed and doing a bit of back-seat driving.

SequoiaTree · 12/08/2024 17:55

I don't think you should pay as you weren't driving, but I think the people who benefitted from being chauffeured should chip in. She'll probably refuse to drive in future if she has to chauffeur people around and pay a fine and the chauffeured people get off Scott free

Bjorkdidit · 12/08/2024 18:05

Sonia is also able to get off Scott free. She simply needs to drive without breaking the law. Most people who are passengers would also prefer to be driven legally.

Gonk123 · 12/08/2024 18:08

the fact that the poor trainee alone cannot afford it is just awful! Is it being a team player to make a trainee with no money pay for someone else’s mistake! And that’s just the first point to argue…

Harleyband · 12/08/2024 18:16

Ridiculous. Sonia and Sonia alone broke the law. It has nothing to do with whoever else was in the car and nothing to do with why anyone else was in the car. Stick to your guns.

PrettyPickle · 12/08/2024 18:20

Ooh we need an update please - what was the outcome today?

FloofPaws · 12/08/2024 18:22

That's ridiculous, what if she'd have hit a pedestrian - should you all be sharing a prison sentence?
She needs to suck it up, she was in control and she took responsibility of driving so it's her fault she's broken the law

SequoiaTree · 12/08/2024 18:47

I would definitely chip in if someone had done me the favour of chauffeuring me, but wouldn't if I'd been one of the drivers. Otherwise I'd expect the driver to refuse next time. So it will probably be op driving both ways next time. Which everyone might be fine with.

LookingforMaryPoppins · 12/08/2024 18:50

CountryVic · 10/08/2024 12:24

It’s a government job so I don’t think I can refuse to travel with her again, but I can probably insist on driving. My manager is new to the role, when I say manager he is the office manager, but he is not my line manager as such, I am in a higher role than him but respect that this is his area, but he’s come from a private practice background so I’m not sure he has even read the car guide at length, there’s a lot of policies when taking one, approved work only and carpooling is normal as tax payers funded.

I won’t know more until Monday but I’m hoping corporate step in and resolve it discretely with Sonia.

Absolutely Sonia should pay! She shouldn't have sped and it was mean that she tried to pass the buck to you! Hope this was sorted out today in an appropriate way!

RitzyMcFee · 12/08/2024 19:30

SequoiaTree · 12/08/2024 18:47

I would definitely chip in if someone had done me the favour of chauffeuring me, but wouldn't if I'd been one of the drivers. Otherwise I'd expect the driver to refuse next time. So it will probably be op driving both ways next time. Which everyone might be fine with.

I just can't see it as a favour. Someone has to drive for the job to be done.

One legally can't and the employer knows that and pays her less.

One is injured and if she's too injured to work or drive then the employer shouldn't let her be at work.

And the other two did drive.

Sparkysmum · 12/08/2024 19:38

As a passenger I would probably contribute. Next time Sonia will probably refuse to drive, so what would happen then.

2chocolateoranges · 12/08/2024 19:42

Not a chance I’d contribute as I wasn’t speeding, if she stuck to the speed limit then it wouldn’t have happened.

Despair1 · 12/08/2024 19:53

Sparkysmum · 12/08/2024 19:38

As a passenger I would probably contribute. Next time Sonia will probably refuse to drive, so what would happen then.

Good point, I agree with this

User56785 · 12/08/2024 20:01

Next time Sonia will probably refuse to drive, so what would happen then.

Maybe she would get sacked as driving is a part of her job.

Maybe the people in charge would have to sign people off who couldn't drive because they had an injury.

Maybe they wouldn't be able to have trainees who can only have one passenger.

What would happen if Sonia refused to drive isn't OPs problem.

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