MOTOR JOY-RIDING

Southland Times, Issue 20949, 5 December 1929, Page 10

MOTOR JOY-RIDING

PROPOSED LEGISLATION. BAN ON ELOPEMENTS. London, November 16. If a wife were to take her husband’s car for joy-riding she ■would be perfectly entitled to do so, but if she took it in order to elope she would be guilty of a serious offence under the terms of a new Bill introduced in the House of Commons by Sir Gervais Rentoul (Conservative) and supported by members of all parties.

Similarly, a husband might take a joyride in his wife’s car, but not for elopement purposes, so thus the scales would be evenly weighed. But the fate of the Bill is doubtful, as the Government’s legal advisers are' also preparing a measure. Sir Gervais Rentoul’s Bill seeks to make joy-riding in other people’s cars a statutory offence, thus nullifying the excuse that it had been taken with no intention to steal, but only borrowed for joy-riding purposes. The penalty on a summary conviction would be a maximum of six months’ imprisonment, or a fine of £2OO, or both, or, on indictment, two years’ imprisonment and a fine of £2OO. Convicted persons would be disqualified from holding a driving license for a minimum period of three years.