New driver skidded on to wrong side of road
Accused hit car then raced off
A new driver skidded on to the wrong side of the road and ploughed into oncoming traffic.
Navdeep Singh, 20, lost control during icy conditions then raced off after careering into another motor.
His car was found ditched nearby – just 18 months after passing his test.
The motorist admitted careless driving during a hearing at Paisley Sheriff Court.
Prosecutor Frank Clarke told how he swerved on to the opposite side of the street.
He said: “The road conditions were not perfect. “There were sporadic ice patches on the road. “The accused, quite simply, was not driving in a manner that suited the road conditions, resulting in him slipping across into the opposite carriageway.
“In an attempt to correct this, he had cause to overtake another vehicle.
“He did so and collided with a car travelling in the opposite direction. “Both were very badly damaged. “When confronted by the driver of the other car, he made off.”
Singh sparked panic when he veered into traffic in Dean Park Road, Renfrew.
He careered into a passing car after skidding in below-freezing temperatures around 12.30am on December 13 last year.
His motor was found parked outside a home just minutes away.
But he did not hand himself into a police station immediately.
Singh insisted he legged it because he was “scared” and “nervous” and told cops: “I can’t help the car sliding.”
Defence lawyer Joseph Murphy claimed his client was rushing to be at his sister’s bedside at hospital in Glasgow. He said: “His sister had a fall. “It resulted in her being taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital as an emergency.
“He was on his way to the hospital to see if things were okay.
“He pulled out to overtake, but on trying to return to his own side of the road, he went into a skid and collided with a vehicle coming from the opposite direction.
“The driver of the other car got out and began to shout at him.
“He felt intimidated and frightened and drove off. “He needs his licence to get to and from work.” Singh had been charged with dangerous driving, but pled guilty to a reduced charge.
Sheriff Linda Smith ordered him to pay a financial penalty.
She said: “Given you have pled guilty, the fine I will impose on you is £360.”
Singh, of Dochart Avenue, also had eight penalty points slapped on his licence.