91-year-old Larne motorist took wrong turn at dual-carriageway before driving wrong way against the flow of traffic
A 91-year-old motorist, who took a wrong turn and had driven towards oncoming traffic on a one-way section at a dual-carriageway, collided with another vehicle, a court has heard.
Ballymena Magistrates' Court was told on Thursday, July 9 that the driver swerved onto a grass verge in a bid to avoid a collision but another motorist also had the same idea and they crashed,
The defendant – Sam Taggart, of Duneira Park in Larne – pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.
A prosecutor outlined that on October 31 last year there was a traffic collision in area of the Crankill Road dual-carriageway near Ballymena.
The defendant had been driving a Kia Venga which collided with a Vauxhall Mokka and both vehicles had frontal damage.
The defendant told police he had "taken the wrong turn, ending up on the wrong side of the Crankill Road, driving into oncoming traffic".
The Mokka driver gave a similar account.
No details of injury, if any, were outlined to the court.
A defence barrister told the court it had been a "very unfortunate accident".
She said the defendant is 91 years of age but had been driving since he was 17 with no convictions or penalty points. The lawyer added that the "circumstances of the offending are unusual".
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The barrister said the defendant's 98-year-old sister had been a passenger in the vehicle at the ti,e and they were travelling from Portrush towards Ballymena.
She said the defendant's intention was to "turn right onto the slip road going into the town centre" but he "very regrettably misread the road signs and accidentally turned onto a road, going the wrong way".
The barrister said the defendant then tried to turn his vehicle to the left to go onto the grass "but unfortunately the car coming towards him had the same train of thought" and there was a collision.
District Judge Nigel Broderick asked: "Might this be the end of his driving days?" The barrister said that the defendant has agreed to surrender his licence.
He has been banned from driving for a year and has been fined £200.