A self-employed mechanic, Jake Lowe, 19, who is still learning to drive, appeared at Welshpool Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 3 June, after almost causing a vehicle to leave the road on the A458 near Trewern, Powys. Lowe pleaded guilty to failing to stop after a road accident and driving without a full licence or insurance.
Prosecutor Helen Tench explained that Lowe’s Vauxhall Vectra clipped the wing mirror and bumper of a Ford Kuga while he was overtaking on solid white lines, forcing another car to swerve. Lowe then travelled a “considerable” distance before leaving his vehicle on foot to an address, which witnesses reported to the police. Lowe later admitted to police that he was the driver and, as a provisional licence holder, did not have a supervisor with him.
Owain Jones, defending Lowe, stated that the teenager was “frustrated” by a car travelling significantly below the speed limit. Mr Jones added that Lowe “doesn’t know how he clipped the car but he acknowledges that he did,” accepting his driving was not as a “careful and competent driver.” Lowe stopped his car after the collision but, fearing he had no insurance, left the scene. Mr Jones noted that the damage to the clipped car was minor, consisting of “a few scratches” and a detached wing mirror, with no significant harm to the driver.
Chair of the magistrates’ bench, Nicholas Powell, questioned Lowe’s decision to drive, especially given his aspirations as a mechanic and the hazardous nature of the A458, which has double white lines for much of its length.
Lowe, of Garth Vaughan, Guilsfield, was ordered to pay £267 in fines and surcharges. His licence was also endorsed with eight penalty points, which will remain for three years. Since the incident, Lowe has not been driving, a situation that will impact his self-employed mechanic career.
Source: Powys County Times