New driver was racing
A NEWLY-QUALIFIED driver caused a head-on crash which injured two people after losing control of her car during a race. Hanna Harding, 21, hit an oncoming Mercedes, hurting a driver and passenger.
A NEWLY-QUALIFIED driver caused a head-on crash which injured two people after losing control of her car on a roundabout during a race.
Hanna Harding, 21, veered on to the wrong side of the road at high speed during the four-mile race and hit an oncoming Mercedes, hurting the driver and passenger inside.
Sentencing her at Cardiff Crown Court, Recorder David Harris said: “You drove your vehicle at a very high speed for a pro- longed period of time.”
The incident happened on the A48 in Laleston, Bridgend, at around 7.30pm on August 28.
Prosecutor Peter Donnison said the defendant, who had passed her driving test earlier in the year, was driving a Suzuki Swift when she decided to race another driver. The court heard the race lasted for about four miles before Harding lost control of her car at a roundabout, then swerved on to the wrong side of the road and caused the head-on collision.
Mr Donnison said the two victims suffered physical injuries as well as psychological trauma.
South Wales Police, the Welsh Ambulance Service, and South Wales Fire and Rescue Service all attended the incident.
Claire Pickthall, defending, said Harding made admissions at the scene despite being in and out of consciousness.
The court heard she managed to get herself out of the vehicle and was taken to hospital.
Prosecutors argued it was a prolonged incident and the fact she was racing at the time was a “serious aggravating feature”.
Harding, from Long Acre in North Cornelly, Bridgend, admitted dangerous driving.
Ms Pickthall told the court she was in hospital for “some time” and was off work for six months due to her injuries. She said her client had no previous convictions and argued the offending was “totally out of character”.
Harding was judged by the Probation Service to present a low risk of reoffending and her counsel asked for her to be given an opportunity.
The court heard she has qualifications in beauty but is not currently in work and cares for her grandmother, whom she has lived with since her mother died when she was a baby.
Ms Pickthall said her client felt “intimidated” by the other driver she raced but she took full responsibility for her actions and wished to apologise to the victims.
She added: “She is truly devastated at the consequences of her actions.”
In his sentencing remarks Recorder Harris said: “This is a case where you decided to race another driver.
“Having made that decision, you drove your vehicle at a very high speed for a prolonged period of time.”
Harding was given a sixmonth prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 60 hours of unpaid work plus 10 days of a rehabilitation activity.
She was banned from driving for 18 months and must take an extended retest before being allowed behind the wheel again.