Young Driver Cleared of Dangerous Driving

In 2014, a 19 year old driver who had passed his driving test 16 months previously was driving in difficult weather conditions. He came off a junction of the motorway and pulled into the petrol station too quickly, smashing into a parked car.

The parked car then hit a woman who was making her way into the petrol station, pinning her under the wheels. Petrol station staff, as well as members of the public, rushed to the woman’s aid, using a plank of wood and a tyre iron to create a makeshift lever in order to release her from under the car.

The driver denied causing serious injury by dangerous driving at a recent court hearing but had admitted careless driving at an earlier hearing. In giving evidence to the Court, the driver said: “when I came to slow down, I suddenly realised how short the exit road of the A38 was and didn’t break hard enough. When I realised how short it was, I slammed on the brakes and tried to drive around the parked cars but couldn’t steer it and collided with one of the parked cars.”

The Court and jury members were also shown CCTV footage of the incident.

The driver had never driven the car before and this, in addition to the adverse weather conditions, was taken into account by the Judge. The reason for pulling into the petrol station was to swap drivers with one of the passengers in the car.

He was acquitted of dangerous driving and was sentenced for his previous guilty plea of careless driving. He received a £1,000 fine and 8 penalty points.

As the driver was within two years of passing his test, during which time a driver can only receive 6 points before losing their license, his driving license was revoked.

The above cases illustrate the importance of having a solicitor on board to assist with mitigating your case. Chadwick Lawrence’s Regulatory Specialists are able to assist with motoring offences and are regularly instructed to represent individuals who face a driving disqualification.