Diplomats flout laws

FOREIGN diplomats are flouting Australian road rules by racking up speeding fines, failing to strap babies into their seats and refusing to pay fines.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has sent more than 20 warnings to foreign embassies over the past two years, with lead-foot diplomats speeding, running red lights and racing through giveway signs.

The disregard for traffic rules in the nation’s capital comes despite embassy staff being stripped of their diplomatic immunity when behind the wheel under a deal struck two years ago.