Man drove on wrong side of road after Spanish holiday

Before North Antrim Magistrates Court on Friday was Andrew O’Leary (65) of Nursery Avenue who pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving.

O’Leary’s Volkswagen Jetta was in collision with a Ford Focus on the Kilraughts Road at 10.45am on November 7 last year.

The court was told O’Leary’s vehicle had been travelling toward Ballymoney on the wrong side of the road when the incident occurred.

Extensive damage was caused to both vehicles and both drivers and their passengers had to be taken to Coleraine Hospital.

The driver of the other vehicle sustained chest injuries while his passenger suffered a fractured arm.

O’Leary’s solicitor described the road the crash happened on as “quite twisty and bendy” with bends which are difficult to negotiate.

The solicitor said his client had just returned home from Spain that day where motorists drive on the right hand side of the road.

He had been on his way to pick up his cat following the holiday. The solicitor said his client had driven on the wrong side of the road before realising his error although it was too late to pull over to the correct side of the road.

“Mr O’Leary has been driving for many, many years,” said the solicitor.

“He has lived and worked most of his days in the United States.

“He wants to apologise for the incident.”

The solicitor said his client holds both a UK driving licence and a Tennessee licence and had never previously been before a court.

“I would ask your worship to treat this as a one-off,” said the solicitor.

Addressing O’Leary, District Judge Richard Wilson, said: “This could have been more serious.

“For the other drivers it must have been quite a scary experience.”

O’Leary was fined 200 and had his driving licence endorsed with five penalty points.