An RAF officer who fell asleep at the wheel and caused a head-on collision has been banned from the roads.
Ben Davies, a weapons controller with the Royal Air Force at Lossiemouth, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted causing the crash by driving dangerously and into the path of oncoming vehicles.
The accident saw the 20-year-old’s blue Ford Fiesta veer onto the wrong side of the road and collided with a car, leaving the other driver with whiplash and a broken wrist.
“I think I fell asleep”, Davies told officers at the scene of the crash.
Driver suffered injuries
Fiscal depute Victoria Kerr told the court that Davies was driving on the A96, near to the junction of the A920 Colpy Road, on April 28 2021.
“There was another car travelling in the opposite direction,” Ms Kerr said.
“The accused’s vehicle was close to the vehicle in front of him and he performed a manoeuvre that looked like he was overtaking.
“As the car pulled out it collided head-on with the vehicle coming in the opposite direction, whose driver did not have time to break.”
Both cars spun clockwise, with Davies’ car thrown onto the nearside grass verge while the other car landed on the grass on the other side of the road.
The other driver suffered whiplash and a fractured wrist while Davies suffered a fracture to his femur.
Davies pleaded guilty to one charge of driving dangerously.
He wishes to extend his apologies to the driver
Defence agent Iain McGregor told the court that Davies was based at the RAF base at Lossiemouth at the time of the crash and had been visiting friends that night.
“When he was spoken to by police he was quite frank with them regarding the circumstances,” he said.
“He told them ‘I think I fell asleep’ and was fully cooperative.
“Mr Davies had, in fact, stopped just outside Aberdeen as he was fatigued but he then felt he was okay to continue – he thinks he then fell asleep for a short period of time.”
Mr McGregor added that Davies’ actions that night were “a matter of deep regret” for his client.
“He wishes to extend his apologies to the driver of the other vehicle,” he said.
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin fined Davies, whose address was given as RAF Lossiemouth, a total of £1,000 and banned him from driving for 12 months.
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