In late 2018 my client was charged with dangerous driving. He was alleged to have overtaken an articulated lorry on a blind bend, crashing nearly head-on into a car coming in the opposite direction. Fortunately, the injuries were relatively minor. Nonetheless, the Crown Prosecution Service regarded it as a serious case of dangerous driving. They refused to accept a guilty plea to careless driving and the prosecution came to trial on 12 February 2019 in the magistrates court.

During the run-up to the trial, I had plans of the road printed which showed the absence of any warning signs in relation to the corner, and that in reality, it was not “blind” as the prosecution had based its case on. After all witnesses had given their evidence, the magistrates found my client not guilty of dangerous driving. On his own admission he was found guilty of careless driving.

He left court with 9 penalty points and a very modest fine. Had he been convicted of dangerous driving he would have faced a minimum disqualification of 12 months together with a compulsory extended retest. He might even have been sent to the Crown Court for sentencing placing him at risk of a prison sentence. Thorough preparation and presentation in court prevented this from happening.