Drivers shaken by careless PC Motorists forced to swerve and brake
Perth’s Hallowe’en bash. Pic: PK Perspective/Perth City Centre Two motorists had to take evasive action to avoid a smash when they were confronted by a police officer driving on the wrong side of a Perthshire country road.
Ironically, the constable, who was with an instructor, was practising overtaking manoeuvres and was on the 13th day of a driving course, Perth Sheriff Court was told yesterday.
First Alan Finlayson had to brake and change course as PC Kevin Brown pulled out to get past a line of cars on the A822 Crieff-Braco road on July 29 last year.
Then, shortly afterwards, John Tannahill, who was at the wheel of a Mazda Estate, was forced to swerve to the nearside and mount the grass verge as the police vehicle overtook a tractor and trailer.
Thirty-one-year-old Kevin Brown, whose address was given as Police Scotland’s Tayside Division headquarters in Dundee, was initially charged with dangerous driving, which he denied. Kevin Brown
But he had his guilty plea accepted to the lesser charge of careless driving - and was fined £420 and had four penalty points added to his licence.
He admitted driving without due consideration for other road users between the Middleton/Machanany road turn off and Orchil Castle on July 29, 2016.
The court heard that he still faces an investigation by the force’s Professional Standards Department - and that had been “hanging over him” since last year.
Depute fiscal Michael Sweeney said the accused had been on a driving course which ran from July 18-August 3.
He was accompanied by instructor Simon Carter and they were practising overtaking that day.
Brown had earlier overtaken a tractor without incident about 10.15am and then caught up with a line of vehicles comprising three cars.
In front of them was another tractor, this time pulling a trailer, travelling at 25mph.
The instructor asked him to overtake the line of cars but not the tractor and trailer.
The accused checked his mirror and pulled out but as he got alongside the tractor he was then faced with a car approaching a bend at 40mph.
Mr Finlayson started to brake and slow down. As he did so, the police vehicle pulled in behind the tractor and trailer. The accused then pulled out to overtake again but as he did so the second car, also travelling at 40mph, approached.
That driver had to pull onto the verge, bringing his vehicle to a “full stop” to avoid a collision, explained the fiscal.
As Brown completed the manoeuvre, he “looked embarrassed.”
Mr Tannahill later stopped at a garage as he “felt shaken” by what had happened.
Both motorists reported the incident to the police.
The instructor who had been accompanying the accused also informed his sergeant of what had taken place.
Advocate Lorraine Glancy said that her client had subsequently passed the driving course a few days later.
She submitted his driving that day was at the “bottom end” of the careless driving scale, pointing out no injuries had been caused and there had been no damage to any vehicles.
“It’s fair to say that throughout the course, drivers are pushed to perform outwith their normal comfort zones to prepare them for driving.”
He was to overtake vehicles he encountered as quickly as possible.
Imposing the fine and penalty points, Sheriff Pino Di Emidio noted that the accused’s driving had resulted in two motorists reporting their “close encounters.”
He added: “They were sufficiently disturbed - and certainly in one case the driver concerned was shaken by what had occurred.”