Bus driver praised by Inverness sheriff after actions in near miss with "dangerous" driver on A9 near Cromarty Bridge
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A BUS driver was praised for his quick reactions when he swerved on to a verge to avoid a head-on collision with an on-coming van.
The incident happened on the A9 at Coulnagour, near Culbokie, last August 18 at about noon.
Behind the wheel of the van was rope access worker Connor Adams (26), who had been working in Wick at the time.
Simon Cook was the driver of the bus which was carrying passengers on a Saturday morning journey north
Inverness Sheriff Court was told Adams was rushing to collect his girlfriend as he drove up the hill from the Cromarty Bridge and came up behind a car.
Fiscal depute Niall Macdonald told Sheriff Margaret Neilson: "He came up close to their bumper but both vehicles were below the national speed limit. He then pulled his van out and overtook the car in front when it was not safe to do so.
"The bus had to brake and the driver moved off the road on to the verge to avoid a collision. Adams sharply pulled in to his own side of the road but at one stage three vehicles, including the bus, were abreast of each other.
"When charged, Adams told police he was sorry and he didn't mean it to happen," Mr Macdonald added.
Adams admitted a charge of dangerous driving and the Sheriff noted that he had a "bad record" with previous convictions for road traffic offences, including a 12 month driving ban imposed through the totting up of penalty points.
Defence solicitor Graham Mann accepted on his client's behalf that it was "a bad piece of driving".
But Sheriff Neilson commented: "This was VERY bad driving. Thanks to the quick reactions of the bus driver, a bad accident was avoided. Your client does not have a good record and obviously has not learned his lesson, having been disqualified before."
The Sheriff imposed an interim ban on Adams, of Bay Tree Drive, South Shields, and deferred sentence until July 22 for a background report.
