The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Motorist who crashed near school banned and fined £300
Court: Man who hit electronic sign caused £45,000 worth of damage
A young driver who skidded off the road and crashed into a sign near a primary school has been banned from driving for three months.
David Cioban, 21, appeared at Oban Sheriff Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to careless driving. He was also fined £300.
The court heard there was £45,000 worth of damage caused to the electronic cycle path sign.
Cioban, of Strathmore Gardens, Rutherglen, was working in Barcaldine as a logistics and planning supervisor when the crash took place on the A828 Connel to Ballachuilish road near Lochnell Primary School in Benderloch on February 11.
Fiscal Eoin McGinty said there had been snow and ice but the road had been well gritted when Cioban drove his BMW at excessive speed, causing it to mount a footpath, cross a cycle path and collide with the sign.
Solicitor Laura McManus said Cioban had recently purchased the rear-wheel drive car.
She said: “Conditions
“An example of bad driving which goes beyond a momentary lapse”
were quite snowy. He was not accustomed to driving his new vehicle in such conditions. He accepts he lost control of the vehicle.
“I would submit to the court this accident was more to do with the new vehicle and him not being used to driving it in these conditions rather than a particularly serious lapse in his concentration.”
Sheriff Patrick Hughes said: “When you take a vehicle on to the road you are taking responsibility for yourself and also for other road users.
“It is important you do everything you can to keep them safe.
“In this case your driving has caused an accident. It is an example of bad driving which goes beyond a momentary lapse and has shown a real inability to control the vehicle you were driving.
“If an accident like this had happened during school time when a child had been standing in front of that sign, then a real tragedy could have resulted.
“The sentence this court imposes today is not just something that goes to you but must also send a message to drivers in this area as to the consequences that their driving may result in.”