MOTORIST FINED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 228, 25 September 1940, Page 9

MOTORIST FINED.

DANGEROUS DRIVING.

"YOUNG WOMAN TERRIFIED."

NAPIER, this day. The experience of a young woman who, while wheeling a bicycle on the road, eaw a car coming towards her at a speed stated to be between 65 and 70 miles an hour, and stood paralysed until she realised it was not going to strike her, was described to Mr. J. Miller, S.M., in the Hastings Magistrate's Court. The case concerned a charge of dangerous driving against Stephen Matthews. A charge of intoxication was withdrawn. Senior Sergeant Quayle told the Court that Matthewe had been drinking in Hastings on the day in question. On his way out to the country he passed a man, who deelared that the car wae travelling at 65 to 70 miles an hour. and who followed the car and found it had crashed off the road a few milee further on. It was also learned that just 'before Matthews crashed, a. young woman had been terrified by the car's approach. She said the car wae going so fast and straight for her that she could not shift. She felt paralysed, and could no nothing but put rer hands over her eye* to blot out its eight. To mies a. cyclist Matthewe braked and the car, according to Senior Sergeant Quayle. skidded sideways for 145 feet, turned completely round, went backwards for 22 feet, and then went over a 10 foot bank.

Mr. W. E. Bate, for Matthews, said the position had been rather highly coloured. Matthews had been driving for 21 years without a conviction of any kind. On the day in question he had had two or three beers and he admitted travelling at between 45 and 50 miles an hour. The reason for the skid, however, was that the road was down a grade and the surface wet. Mr. Miller said he viewed the case as a particularly bad one. "It appears that on this particular day he was a road hog and a menace and danger to the public whether drunk or not." He fined Matthews £12 and cancelled his license for 12 months.