A taxi driver who dozed off at the wheel and crashed into a lamppost at Sumburgh Airport has been banned from the road and is set to lose her job.
Vanessa Johnston, of St Magnus Street, Lerwick, previously admitted to driving dangerously at the airport on July 1 by falling asleep and causing damage to the lamppost following the collision.
Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie told Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday the 54-year-old did not sustain any injuries in the incident.
However, there was a large amount of scaffolding near the lamp-post, which could have been “very significant” if she had driven into it.
Mackenzie added that Johnston had been on night shift for three years before moving to days, and, with her body clock confused, she woke up at 4am and failed to get back to sleep.
Defence agent Tommy Allan said his client was “relieved” nobody else was hurt in the incident.
Johnston had opened her windows and turned up the volume of music in her car in a bid to stave off the tiredness.
Sheriff Philip Mann ruled the driver “knew she was tired even before she set off” and should have thought twice about taking to the wheel.
He banned her from the road for one year and fined her £400, with Johnston told she will have to sit an extended driving test before getting a licence again.
