Mark Lamarr Banned from Driving: A Comedian's Struggle

0:00On March 24, comedian Mark Lamar has been banned from driving for six months after pleading guilty to speeding. He was caught going 46 miles per hour and a 40-mile per hour zone near Twickenham at around 6.30 a.m. in June of last year. The court added three points to his license, which already had nine from earlier offenses and fined him 236 pounds. Lamar argued that losing his driving privileges would create serious problems for his daily life. He said he relies on his car to take his young daughter places and visit his mother, who deals with arthritis. He also explained his own health struggles with chronic fatigue syndrome, which make public transport tough on bad days. Walking to a train station or waiting at a bus stop can leave him wiped out, sometimes forcing him to rest for days. The magistrate acknowledged some hardship but ruled it did not qualify as exceptional enough to skip the ban. This came after three prior speeding tickets on his record.

1:00Lamar first rose to fame in the 1990s on shows like Shooting Stars and hosted Never Mind the Buzz Cox from 1996 to 2005. Now effectively retired, he spends time dealing records, often scouting for stock by car. The ban takes effect right away, reshaping his routine for the next half year.