The Police Confiscated a Man's Car Because the Passenger Was Caught Littering

Two people traveling in a Volkswagen Golf decided to take a break on the side of the road and clean their vehicle’s interior while stopped. Unfortunately, their plans also included leaving trash on the grass. Besides the cameras installed specifically to monitor drivers that might decide to litter, the Police were also passing by. They were both caught by the officers.

The recording shows the woman putting some discarded objects in a plastic bag and then throwing it into a pile that started to become even bigger with both the driver’s and the passenger’s contributions.

The Police saw what happened and immediately pulled over to properly assess the situation. They decided to apply the full extent of the law after confronting what the female passenger and the man driving told them with what the cameras recorded. The full video unavailable online showed both of them throwing things at the edge of the forest.

That meant officers had the right to apply an individual fine of $1,300 to them both. Furthermore, because they were caught littering in a place where it’s strictly forbidden to do so, the officers applied the full extent of the law and confiscated the old Volkswagen Golf.

On top of all this, the local environmental agency also applied a fine of $1,200 for the driver after being notified about the incident.

This happened in Europe, where environmental laws became very strict in 2020. European Union (EU) bodies and national regulatory entities from member states adopted harsh penalties for those that do not respect the rules when it comes to the disposing of trash.

County officials explained in a press statement this VW Golf is the fourth car confiscated from owners who littered and were caught in the act. The driver can’t get his car back for the time being. He’ll have to sue and prove he didn’t break the law, but only after the fines are paid in full.

There’s no jail sentence in this case, and the people caught in the act won’t have to appear in front of a judge if they don’t want to.

In the U.S., littering is punishable according to state law, where a judge could set a maximum fine of $30,000 and even add imprisonment in more serious cases. A man in Tennessee spent six years behind bars for throwing trash out of his car and causing an accident.