Scotland’s oldest offender... at 101!
OAP admits careless driving after hitting cyclist (when he was 100) but JP lets him KEEP licence
A 101-year-old man has become the oldest person in Scotland to be convicted of a criminal offence – after admitting careless driving.
Peter Smith was 100 when he crashed into and injured a cyclist – and became the oldest man in the country to be charged with a crime.
He has since celebrated his 101st birthday and has earned himself a place in history as the most elderly person in Scotland to be convicted after admitting he broke the law.
Mr Smith sent a letter to the Justice of the Peace Court last month pleading guilty to a charge of careless driving.
He was fined and given penalty points – but was allowed to keep his licence, meaning he is still free to drive around his home town of Dunoon, Argyll.
Any driver over 70 must renew their licence every three years and declare certain medical conditions to the DVLA. Mr Smith’s recent conviction has sparked concern about older drivers and the added care they should take.
Liz Brooker MBE, chair of Road Safety GB, said: ‘While we wouldn’t want to comment on an individual case, we do stress the importance of all road users being fit to use the road and/or the vehicle that they are in control of.
‘While injuring or killing someone on the road isn’t an intentional act, anyone who continues to drive when they are aware that their concentration levels and ability to react to situations are not what they should be – either through age or illness – poses a danger to fellow road users and themselves.’
The crash happened on Shore Road in Dunoon on April 7 this year
‘Danger to fellow road users and themselves’
when the centenarian driving his Renault Clio collided with cyclist John Oliver, 51.
Mr Oliver was taken to hospital with injuries – the car and bike were also damaged in the crash.
Months later, Mr Smith was charged with careless driving. He did not go to court but sent a letter admitting guilt and was fined £200, told to pay a £10 surcharge for Mr Oliver and given four penalty points. His licence was not taken from him, leaving him free to keep driving.
In 2005, a 96-year-old motorist was pulled over by police and taken to court for careless driving, after he almost brought a busy dual carriageway to a standstill by driving his Fiat Punto at 20mph.
Herbert Street was ordered to resit his test by a judge at Dumfries Sheriff Court. Street claimed that the problem was with his car and not his driving.
Last year, the Duke of Edinburgh, 99, crashed his Land Rover into a Kia car when he pulled on to a road near the Queen’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk. His vehicle was seen on its side after the accident.
Emma Fairweather, 47, a passenger in the other car, suffered a broken wrist, while the driver’s young son, who was sitting in the back, sustained minor cuts and bruises.
But while Mr Smith is officially Scotland’s oldest lawbreaker, a man of the same age – but a much more serious offender – has been convicted south of the Border. Retired lorry driver Ralph Clarke was 101 when he was found guilty in 2016 of historic sex offences at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court – and sentenced to 13 years in prison.