Drive-offs cost Northern Ireland fuel stations £83,000
Motorists in Northern Ireland who didn’t pay for their fuel refill have cost the local retail petrol industry more than £83,000 (over $107,000) in the past three years, reports The Irish News.
There are almost 2,700 incidents of drive-offs that took place between 2013 and November 2015, of which 85 percent are “genuine mistakes”, according to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
The PSNI with its new pilot scheme to address gas drive offs received criticisms from petrol station owners as it leaves the businessmen the responsibility to pursue motorists who drive off without paying.
The scheme, which would require petrol station owners to pay £2.50 for information on every car from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), write the drivers, and then take civil actions if necessary, would be cumbersome on the part of fuel station owners and would take away the responsibility from the police.
The PSNI has then decided to postpone the pilot initiative pending further consultations.
