Traffic officer denies charge

Press, 19 December 1985, Page 18

Traffic officer denies charge

PA Napier A Ministry of Transport traffic officer swerved his car towards oncoming vehicles while on patrol near Bay View last year, the District Court of Napier was told.

The officer, Murray James McDermott, aged 34, is charged with inconsiderate driving on November 30.

The charge was laid by the Ministry after complaints from several motorists following the vehicle who saw McDermott’s actions.

A defended hearing was adjourned until February 11.

Witnesses said they saw the officer driving on State Highway 2, between Bay

View and Napier, which had been newly sealed. He was travelling at the 30km h temporary speed limit with his arm waving at oncoming vehicles to slow them, when he turned the wheel suddenly and swerved towards an oncoming car. One witness said he scared people in several cars. He repeated the manoeuvre along down the highway. On the possibility of his actions causing an accident, Mr McDermott said that oncoming cars would have had to be travelling too fast if they could not avoid hitting his patrol car. He asked why the drivers of the oncoming vehicles involved did not complain.