Driving offence brings fine

Press, 25 July 1986, Page 7

Driving offence brings fine

A man who drove across an intersection against red traffic lights and struck another car, seriously injuring an elderly motorist, was yesterday fined $4OO for a driving offence arising from the accident The defendant David William Robinson, aged 42, a social worker, pleaded guilty in the District Court to a charge of causing injury to Thomas Noel Wingham by carelessly using a motor vehicle, last November 16. In addition to the fine, Judge Paterson disqualified him from driving for six months. He said the case illustrated again that motorists must give attention at all times to their driving, because circumstances changed so rapidly. Sergeant M. J. South said Robinson’s car failed to stop for red lights at the intersection of Tuam Street and Durham Street, and struck the driver’s door of Mr Wingham’s car. The complainant suffered a broken hip and pelvis, and a collapsed lung, and spent five weeks in hospital, initially on the seriously ill list. Robinson told the police he had been talking to his wife and remembered nothing before the collision. Mr G. E. Langham, for

Robinson, said he had no previous convictions, and a totally unblemished driving record. The breach had occurred from an unfortunate mistake in which Robinson had been stopped on the side of the road a short distance from the intersection, and conversed with his wife. He did not notice that the traffic lights had changed from green to red as he drove into the intersection. Originally Robinson had denied the charge which was laid under a.different sub-section of the Transport Act, but with similar wording. The original charge provided for heavier penalty and driving licence disqualification. Mr Langham made legal submissions on this matter, describing it as a slightly unusual case, in which a not guilty plea was entered to the original charge but the police’s summary of the circumstances of the offence was admitted. Mr Langham contended that there was no real suggestion that Robinson committed the more serious offence. After a short adjournment Sergeant South sought amendment of the charge, which the Judge -granted, and Robinson pleaded , guilty to this.