An 82-year-old woman has been allowed to keep her licence – despite admitting causing a crash by carelessly overtaking a tractor.
Ann MacFarlane had been stuck behind the tractor on the A980 at Lumphanan for around two miles when she decided to try and overtake the vehicle as it made a turn.
But the pensioner misjudged the distance between her and a car coming in the opposite direction, forcing the vehicle to veer onto the verge and crash into a parapet.
Fiscal depute David Rodger told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the incident happened around 2.30pm on August 20 2021.
He said MacFarlane moved into the opposing carriageway to overtake the tractor while a witness was travelling in the other direction.
The witness was “forced to veer towards the verge” in order to avoid a collision with the pensioner’s vehicle, which was just one to two metres away.
Pensioner fined but keeps licence
The witness’s vehicle mounted the verge and collided with a parapet before coming to a stop, leaving the front damaged.
MacFarlane, of Premnay, Insch, pled guilty to a charge of careless driving.
Defence agent Sian Fish said her client had been travelling behind the tractor for around two miles and made her move as it was turning onto another road.
Ms Fish said: “Once it had almost fully turned onto the road, she tried to get past the end of the trailer.
“She had gone onto the opposing carriageway. She had seen the other car coming but thought she could make the overtake.
“She accepts there might not have been enough time for the overtake.”
Ms Fish asked for her client not to be disqualified from driving, explaining she lives in a remote area.
Sheriff Lesley Johnston ordered MacFarlane to pay a fine of £210 and gave her four penalty points.
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