A CAB driver who was fined almost £500 for driving significantly below the speed limit along the M8 has managed to keep his private hire car licence.
Muhammad Afzaal was convicted under the Road Traffic Act 1988 for driving at 40mph between junction 27 and 28 on the M8 - a 70mph zone.
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Mr Afzaal was also fined £480 and had seven penalty points put on his licence following the offence which took place on March 3, 2019.
During the licensing committee this morning a spokeswoman for Police Scotland said that two officers in an unmarked vehicle had spotted Mr Afzaal driving dangerously along the inside lane at an inappropriate speed.
He was constantly looking down towards the centre console of his car and failed to keep a proper look out for other road users, causing them to take evasive action to avoid a collision.
Addressing committee members Mr Afzaal said: “I was in the left lane and intended to leave at the next junction. The police signalled for me to slow down which I did as I did not want to cause an accident with them.
“They then pulled into the hard shoulder and I passed them by before they stopped me. They asked me why I was driving so slowly and I said that I was a taxi driver and couldn’t go above 30mph.
“They asked why I had my head down. I told them I wasn’t using my mobile because it is always connected to my car but they still charged me.”
Councillors pointed out that the Police would have been watching Mr Afzaal’s driving for some time before making the decision to pull him over.
Chairman Alex Wilson said: “Officers don’t just watch you for a short period of time - they will have observed you driving and had concerns to pull you over.”
Councillor David Turner added: “Your story seems to be all over the place. You originally said you couldn't go more than 30mph because you were a Glasgow taxi driver.
“There are no special speed limits for private hire car drivers. You have to take the same speed limits as everyone else. Driving slowly on a motorway is as extremely dangerous as driving too fast.”
Following the meeting councillors agreed to let Mr Afzaal keep his licence but issued him a warning for his behaviour.
