“Panicked” motorist who mounted grass verge to undertake cyclist banned from driving for 12 months

A motorist who mounted a grass verge on a narrow road to undertake a cyclist – in what the driver claimed was a moment of “panic” which saw them attempt to avoid crashing into another overtaking motorist ahead – has been banned from driving for 12 months.

Steven Turner pleaded guilty at Jedburgh Sheriff Court this week to dangerous driving following the incident on the A701 near Romannobridge in the Scottish Borders on 9 May 2023, the Border Telegraph reports.

According to prosecutor Drew Long, the female cyclist was heading north at around 5.40pm when she was “undercut” by 25-year-old Turner, the driver of a Mitsubishi pick-up, who mounted the grass verge on the left-hand side while passing the cyclist.

Long told the court that the manoeuvre occurred just as the driver in front of Turner began to overtake the cyclist “in the normal way”, and was captured on that vehicle’s dashcam.

Police later managed to trace Turner, who apologised to officers and admitted that he was the driver of the vehicle.

The 25-year-old, who has recently moved to Devon after joining the British Army, claimed that he had “panicked” by mounting the verge, arguing that he did so because he did not want to collide with the vehicle in front of him.

Turner also claimed that he had wanted to stop and apologise to the cyclist for the dangerous pass, but chose to carry on instead.

Sherrif Peter Paterson disqualified Turner from driving for 12 months, after which the 25-year-old will be required to re-sit an extended test. He was also fined £320, along with an added £20 victim surcharge.

> Cyclist slams “disgraceful” 12-month driving ban and £540 fine for drink driver who “ruined” his life

Turner’s 12-month driving ban and £340 fine – for what was a clearly dangerous manoeuvre but one which fortunately did not lead to any injuries – can be compared to the similar punishment handed out to a Glasgow motorist who left a cyclist with “life-changing” injuries after ploughing into them at speed while drunk, just three days before Turner’s risky undertake in the Scottish Borders.

Cyclist Ian Gillies was enjoying a leisurely ride in the outskirts of Glasgow on 6 May last year when he was hit by motorist Mark Hugh Shields, throwing him 30 feet away onto the pavement and causing him to suffer various severe injuries – including an internal degloving injury to his back, broken ribs, a broken elbow, damage to his hip, and several cuts and bruises – which have left Gillies unable to work and battling with anxiety.

“The guy came out of nowhere, I had just looked behind myself about 20 seconds before he hit me from behind. Someone who witnessed it said he swerved into my lane trying to undertake a car and that’s when he hit me,” the 54-year-old said last month.

However, despite the severity of Ian’s injuries and the motorist’s intoxication at the time of the crash, 44-year-old motorist Shields – who admitted driving without due care and attention and driving while over the limit – was given a £540 fine and 12-month driving ban at Airdrie Sheriff Court, a punishment the cyclist describes as a mere “slap on the wrist”.