www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-14231480
" The former sprinter was disqualified from driving for 15 months.
He was also fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £1,000 prosecution costs. "
"Judge Francis Sheridan had advised the jury to treat the famous defendant as "any other person"."
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So he popped out for a pint of milk at 11.40 at night.
I wonder what was the true purpose of the journey?
Driving on the wrong side of the road for at least 200 yards is not very clever, but no doubt his counsel submitted it was a momentary lapse (careless), rather than a prolonged period of inattention (dangerous).
A jury conviction for dangerous driving would almost certainly mean a short stretch inside, so he's a lucky boy.
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No. I think that sometimes you make your own luck. He did this time.
From what I gather, he owned up pretty quickly to having done something wrong. Refreshing, really. Many would have got a celebrity lawyer and found any number of excuses to get off with nothing.
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>> I wonder what was the true purpose of the journey?
What could you be thinking Iffy?
'Twenty Bensons and a packet of king size silver Rizlas please... and I know it's a bit late, but go on man, do me a favour and slip me a bottle of Smirnoff if you haven't got Absolut...' Something like that I bet.
But Linford Christie is an athlete and celebrity. It's his late brother you're thinking of. Shame on you.
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I don't see where LC's brother comes into the equation. LC himself may be notorious (not celebrated), as much for being a convicted drugs cheat as a medal winner.
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>> notorious (not celebrated), as much for being a convicted drugs cheat as a medal winner.
I'm sure a dose of nandrilone would do us all a world of good Mellers... what a sunny outlook you have if I may say so.
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Sunny and "Tell it as it is" too - a winning combination
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>> >> I wonder what was the true purpose of the journey?
>>
>> What could you be thinking Iffy?
I've gone out to get milk late at night many times in the past, so that I can have my coffee in the morning without having to pop down the shops.
Iffy is just either organised (and so never runs out of milk at an inconvenient time), or is the sort who is always in bed by 7, in his striped pyjamas, with a cup of cocoa, bemoaning the hedonists who are still up watching Corrie :)
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Well, at least he didn't try to get out of it by "doing a runner"!
:-)
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Apparently he'd just come home from a lengthy trip to the US, any easy mistake to make on a quiet road at night. Perhaps he needed the milk for his lunch-box.
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>> Apparently he'd just come home from a lengthy trip to the US, any easy mistake
>> to make on a quiet road at night.
I have done exactly the same thing twice after driving abroad. Each time about a week after coming back, it happens when you dont have any visual clues ( keep left sign, traffic island etc etc)
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I have done exactly the same thing twice after driving abroad. Each time about a week after coming back, it happens when you dont have any visual clues ( keep left sign, traffic island etc etc)
Ditto !
I have done it once, late at night (tired?) on an unlit, no markings, country road after a prolonged period abroad. Scared the proverbial out of me.
I also remember meeting an oncoming set of headlights on a major 8 lane highway in the USA. I was on the correct side with lots of others. How it did not hit anything, or cause lane switching accidents I do not know.
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I tend to do it in France where the visual clues are often even thinner than here.
What a bunch of dangerous wallies we all are to be sure.
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Our visual clues can be so sparse that we have direction arrows painted on the road surface near tourist stop exits and junctions in rural areas for the benefit of our continental visitors, (and for self preservation).
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The former Mrs Ash slapped a Post It with "ON THE RIGHT" written on in large black letters onto the steering wheel as we were waiting to come off the ferry on our first trip abroad, and replaced it with one saying "ON THE LEFT" as we arrived back in Portsmouth. It did seem to work, I can't recall straying across the road once. I think I'd have been more likely to do so driving back from Portsmouth in all honesty after a night crossing - tiredness and light early morning traffic.
One of her few good ideas...
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>> I have done exactly the same thing twice after driving abroad. Each time about a
>> week after coming back, it happens when you dont have any visual clues ( keep
>> left sign, traffic island etc etc)
>>
Me also. Sainsbury's car park.
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>> >> Apparently he'd just come home from a lengthy trip to the US, any easy
>> mistake
>> >> to make on a quiet road at night.
>>
>> I have done exactly the same thing twice after driving abroad. Each time about a
>> week after coming back, it happens when you dont have any visual clues ( keep
>> left sign, traffic island etc etc)
>>
And me. I've also accidentally driven up the "out" ramp to a multi-story car park, which resulted in a shameful and very tedious reverse back down.
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I do it from time to time, here and in the UK
Only ever on an empty road though, moving cars provide the big visual clues.
I once drove out of a Polish petrol station and had to do three immediate left turns to get back onto a duel carriageway. I did them all on the left to find myself facing two lanes of oncoming traffic and had to hoof it over the central reservation.
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I was nearly hit whilst on a pedestrian crossing last week (green light for me) on a one way street when a black cab swung into the street going in the wrong direction - over the crossing - in order to drop off a fare. Just here:
tinyurl.com/3kxtbrv
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Are you the fat Richard with the carrier bag? Cant see the cab tho.
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P'raps the fare was rushing to a clinic?
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>> Well, at least he didn't try to get out of it by "doing a runner"!
>> :-)
>>
Latest -
Olympic gold medallist Linford Christie has lost a Court of Appeal challenge against his 15-month driving ban.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-16545878
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Linford Christie guilty over wrong-way taxi crash - Focusless
