A 48-year-old man has pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention after he hit a stationary bus.
The incident took place on July 9 last year at Backwell, North Somerset
Dylon Saini, of Rollsbridge Farm, Exeter, was driving a Volvo on the A370 just before 1pm, when he crashed into a stationary bus. The incident was captured on CCTV.
Exeter Magistrates’ Court heard the vehicle had pulled into a bus stop for about ten seconds, with passengers leaving and boarding the bus.
Werjinder Baines, prosecuting, said no effort was made to slow down or stop. Saini told police he had been attempting to overtake the bus, but an oncoming vehicle left him with no time to carry out the manoeuvre.
Saini previously denied the offence but pleaded guilty when he appeared in court.
The defendant, representing himself, said: “On that day it was really hot. The air conditioning didn’t work. I think I had a blackout because I can’t remember anything else.”
District Judge Stuart Smith challenged whether his statement to the police had been a lie: “Why did you tell the police that a car was coming the other direction? Was that a lie?”
In response, Saini said he felt “scared” at the time.
The court heard that at the time of the offence the defendant had been driving for work. Saini said he had recently been made redundant and had enrolled in college.
Sentencing, Judge Smith, said: “It looks like quite a horrific impact from that footage… It appears to me that there was some kind of distraction. You have indicated to me that you were unconscious at the wheel. I don’t know the reality of that, but you certainly didn’t observe the bus.”
Saini was fined £150 and faces a 12-month driving ban, as well as six penalty points on his licence. He must also pay a victim surcharge of £60 and court costs of £85.
- This story was produced via the Police & Crime Commissioner’s Criminal Justice Court Reporting scheme.
