Woman pulled over for inflating balloon

Traffic policeman Arik Gal thought he had seen every possible habit that people have while driving, but even he was surprised when patrolling a Western Galilee highway Monday evening he encountered a driver inflating balloons while operating a moving vehicle.

According to a report in Ynet, Gal was on the  road between Acre and Nahariya, north of Haifa, when he saw a car approaching. What made this car different from the other cars on the road was that rather than seeing a driver, Gal saw a big balloon where the driver’s head was supposed to be.

Apparently the driver was able to see Gal through her balloon, and the 50 year-old woman from Nahariya pulled over as the officer instructed. She claimed to suffer from a respiratory disease and said that inflating balloons provides her with relief. Looking into the back seat the officer observed a beach ball which she had blown up earlier.

Medical explanations notwithstanding, Gal issued the woman a ticket. Since the woman claimed a medical condition as her excuse for her unsafe driving practice, the traffic police will pass her details on to the licensing bureau, which will verify if the woman truly does suffer from a respiratory ailment. If she does, she may be required to undergo tests to determine if she is fit to drive a car.