Young driver fined after overtaking goes wrong

A MAN who failed to keep a proper look-out on the road behind as he went to overtake a car and caused a collision has been fined hundreds of pounds and given four penalty points.

Lerwick Sheriff Court heard on Thursday how Ethan Tulloch, of Whiteness, began to overtake another vehicle – but did not realise a car behind him was similarly overtaking.

This caused a collision, with the driver of the other overtaking vehicle suffering injury.

At the court on Thursday the 21-year-old pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving on the A970 south of Cunningsburgh on 4 October 2022.

The charge stated that he moved his van into the opposing carriageway to commence an overtake, whereby he collided with a car that was in the course of a properly executed overtake of both vehicles.

Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said the incident occurred at around 7.30am as Tulloch and the other overtaking driver were headed towards Lerwick.

He said the young driver, a first offender with a previously clean licence, failed to carry out full observation as he pulled out to overtake, and did not notice the other overtaking vehicle behind.

“There was a coming together and both vehicles left the road in fairly dramatic style,” Mackenzie said.

The driver of the other overtaking car suffered a fracture to his vertebrae in the collision, but it only required rest.

Tulloch’s defence agent said there was a level of observation when the 21-year-old was about to overtake, but he “accepts it was not what it should have been”.

“It’s a matter which Mr Tulloch very much regrets,” he added. “He learned a very valuable lesson.”

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank fined Tulloch £675 and imposed four penalty points, with a £40 victim surcharge added on top.