A 19-year-old learner driver who drove straight through a yield sign and collided with a car was convicted of careless driving at Ballina District Court on Tuesday.
William Conroy, 59 St Patrick’s Estate, Ballina, was driving his Honda Civic on April 26 2012 at 6.40pm. There were four other young people in the car with him. At a crossroads of a secondary road at Cloonawillin, Killala, Conroy failed to slow down at a yield sign and collided into the left side of a Ford Fiesta that had the right of way.
The Fiesta was pushed across the road and was extensively damaged. The female driver had soft tissue injuries. Conroy’s car ended up over a ditch and in a field. Superintendent Pat McHugh said that a witness saw “both vehicles lift off the road”.
Solicitor for Conroy, John Gordon, said that his client accepts full responsibility. Mr Gordon said that Conroy was accompanied by a fully licensed driver on the day. He said that the very narrow country road has no road markings and the only indication of a major road ahead was a yield sign which was covered by overgrown bushes and was hard to see. The solicitor asked the judge not to convict for dangerous driving but for the lesser charge of careless driving.
Judge Mary Devins said that “roads should be maintained to appropriate conditions” and “yield signs should be glaringly obvious.”
The unemployed man who is attending Youthreach was convicted and fined €200 for careless driving.
