Careless driver fined following crash on single track at Lerags

Careless driving cost a man £500 after a crash on the Lerags road near Oban. Alexandru-Iulian Smigelschi pleaded guilty to the charge at Oban Sheriff Court last week.

The court heard how smoke was seen coming from the wheels of his black MercedesBenz as he braked on the narrow single track road on November 10 in 2018.

His vehicle and another met head-on, the driver of the other car said Smigelschi was travelling at excessive speed driving towards him.

Although that stretch of road is 60mph, it is a road that needs drivers to exercise caution, the court was told by procurator fiscal David Glancy.

The Mercedez-Benz had been heading downhill into a left hand bend that its driver could not see through when it happened.

It collided with the Audi and both vehicles were extensively damaged, leaving serious skid marks on the road.

Police examined the scene and concluded 23-year-old Smigelschi was at fault.

Solicitor Kevin McGinness said his client, of 69 St Mary’s Road, Doncaster, had been working in Oban at the time.

‘He readily accepts he was at fault and very much regrets the consequences that followed. My client was going too fast for the situation. This will be a salutary lesson for him,’ added Mr McGinness.

Sheriff Patrick Hughes fined Smigelschi £500 and endorsed his licence with eight penalty points, saying: ‘On roads of this kind, it’s vital that drivers should be conscious of the need to drive at appropriate speed and to have awareness of the safety of other road users. This was a significant failure on your part.’

Taking Smigelschi’s previous good character and good driving record into account, Sheriff Hughes said he was satisfied there was no need to disqualify him from the road.