Working at cross-purposes
Among the distortions and exceptions to have become standard practice in this country is the custom of authorities returning license plates that have been confiscated by police.
Drivers who have had their plates removed for minor offenses can reclaim them ahead of every Christmas and Easter holiday break.
In a first, offenders (including those stopped by police for speaking on mobile phones while driving) can this year retrieve their plates without paying an administrative fine on the spot.
At the same time, there is a TV ad campaign from the traffic police warning of the dangers of using cell phones while driving. And we wonder why Greece tops the European charts in terms of road accidents and casualties.
