Lewis Hamilton charged by the Australian ‘elf ‘n’ safety Police

Lewis Hamilton gets nicked - for acting like a racing driver

There are times when our Antipodean cousins would love to deny that they are of the same stock as we. But the ‘Nanny-State’ culture that has enveloped Australia in the last decade mirrors our own. There seem to be rules covering every aspect of life, from what to do with your rubbish to how to cross the road.

And God help you if you don’t follow the rules. Big Brother will slap you with a big fine for being a bad human being. It looks like we managed to export as many jobsworth tossers as we kept.

Just like us the Aussies have introduced new laws to cover every single possible motoring transgression, and an appropriate punishment for those who fall foul to Nanny. Not satisfied with the old ‘Careless, Reckless & Dangerous’ legislation which covered every eventuality and allowed for the input of human judgement, there are now separate laws to cover everything from using a mobile to using the wrong car polish (well, not quite).

All of which explains why, when Lewis Hamilton treated his fans to a bit of ‘hooning’ as he left the Australian Grand Prix in Albert Park in Melbourne in his Merc, a jobsworth copper nicked him. Once upon a time a copper would have smiled and applauded a show-off to the crowd – and admired the skill – from an F1 World Champion. Not any more. Lewis was pulled over, cautioned and had his car impounded (well, Merc’s car).

And he’s now been charged with a fancy new bit of legislation, instead of simple careless driving. Which – as barrack-room lawyers – is where we think Melbourne Plod will come unstuck. Lewis has been charged with ‘intentionally losing control of a vehicle’. Which should leave a big hole in the prosecution’s case.

I’ve seen Lewis throwing a donut or three. Blimey, there’s footage of it online. And I’ll bet anything you like that his lawyers will manage to find plenty of professional drivers to state that Lewis was in control at all times.

Silly boys. Should have stuck with Careless, Reckless & Dangerous. But that’s too easy for a ‘Nanny-State’.

By Cars UK