Thurso driver told he is 'lucky' to be alive at Wick Sheriff Court
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A sheriff told a dangerous driver responsible for a life-threatening road accident he was lucky to have survived.
Sheriff Gary Aitken made the comment at Wick this week after hearing how Aaron Miller lost control of his vehicle after failing to negotiate a bend on the A882 at Bilbster, in Caithness, mounted a verge, careered along it, struck a metal plant box, crossed over to his wrong site of the road, hit a wall, went through a fence and came to rest in a field.
Miller admitted dangerous driving and failing to report the crash within the ensuing 24 hours.
He was fined £600 and banned from driving for a year.
Fiscal Sue Foard told the court that the brakes on the 27-year-old’s vehicle were faulty and one of the tyres was defective and devoid of tread.
Miller and his passenger, who were on their way to Edinburgh, left the scene of the accident which occurred on October last year and the accused was not traced until the following day.
When they caught up with him Miller told officers that he had lost control of his car and added that he should have reported the accident.
Solicitor Fiona MacDonald said that Miller, of Ravenshill Place, Thurso, appreciated the difficulty his actions had placed him in and described these as “silly”.
She added that the accused had booked his car in to have the brakes fixed the following day.
Sheriff Aitken told him: “You are very lucky that you are still here and that no-one else came to grief.
“The car should never have been on the road in the first place.”
The sheriff added: “Dangerous driving has a potential jail sentence but I am not going to do that.
“However, if you were to find yourself in similar trouble in the future that would be a real possibility.”
Miller was admonished on the charge of failing to report the accident to the police.
The accused will require to sit and pass an extended driving test at the end of his disqualification.
