A young carer has lost her driving licence after she ran two cars off a winding road during an unsafe lorry overtake.
Calaise Edmonstone’s attempts to pass a lorry on the A941 near Craigellachie resulted in the HGV driver having to slam on his brakes and two other drivers having to mount a grass verge to avoid a collision.
The 25-year-old then ran into the back of a third car after returning to her own side of the road, Elgin Sheriff Court was told.
Fiscal depute Victoria Silver said Edmonstone was following another car and tried to emulate its overtake of the lorry near the Bluehill Quarry junction on the afternoon of June 26 last year.
Lorry driver watched drama unfold
She said a lorry driver first witnessed two cars behind him approaching at speed before one car safely overtook him but crossed double white lines in the process.
“The second vehicle continued to overtake him and he had to apply his brakes sharply,” the fiscal said. “Moments later he was three cars approaching in the opposite lane and could see that the accused’s car was not slowing down and suspected there would be a collision.”
Two of the approaching cars slammed on the brakes and took “evasive action” by mounting the grass verge.
Though all the cars missed his lorry, he saw Edmonstone’s grey Fiat collide into the back of another woman’s car.
Edmonstone admitted a charge of dangerous driving by failing to keep a proper lookout or observe road markings, overtaking when unsafe and causing other drivers to take evasive actions on wet roads.
‘Extremely upset by the incident’
Defence agent Stephen Carty said his client had made a “gross misjudgment” and was a bundle of nerves and regret at finding herself in a court for the first time.
“It was a real error of judgement as far as she was concerned and it goes beyond the realms of careless driving,” he added.
“The loss of her licence is going to make her job difficult. She is extremely distressed and upset by the incident. It has given her an enormous scare.”
He added that her ability to care for others and her family would be less “convenient” following a roads ban and said this was a “lesson well and truly learned”.
Sheriff David Sutherland handed Edmonstone, of Sandstone Avenue, Elgin, a £320 fine and a 12-month roads ban.
She must also sit an extended driving test to regain her licence.
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