A REGISTERED blind Perthshire pensioner who caused chaos on the A9 by abandoning his tractor and trailer to attend to a call of nature at the roadside was banned from driving for life at Perth Sheriff Court yesterday.

Robert Simpson (77), who lives in an Auchterarder nursing home, stopped the vehicle in the central reservation.

The court heard that Simpson, who had to be helped into the dock, got out of the cab for his toilet stop and managed to negotiate the busy A9 on foot, leaving the vehicle and trailer blocking the southbound carriageway.

Two vehicles collided as they took action to avoid hitting the stationary trailer.

As well as his lifetime ban Simpson was fined £300.

On sentencing him, Sheriff Robert McCreadie said, “This was an extremely serious error of judgment that could easily have had fatal consequences.”

The Crown said faulty lights on the trailer made the situation even more hazardous to rush-hour traffic.

Depute fiscal Lucy Keane had previously told the court that an approaching car, travelling at 60 mph and overtaking at the time, was forced to brake violently to avoid colliding with the trailer.

Though a second car also narrowly avoided a collision with the trailer, the evasive manoeuvres resulted in the two cars smashing into each other, extensively damaging both.

Simpson, of Ruthven Towers, Auchterarder, admitted driving carelessly by stopping his tractor in the central reservation, obstructing the outside lane of the carriageway and causing two drivers to take evasive action to avoid a collision.

The accused had originally faced a charge of dangerous driving on the Perth to Stirling road at Dalreoch on the November 22 in the knowledge that he had defective eyesight.

However, the Crown accepted a guilty plea to the lesser charge.

The incident happened shortly before 5pm when it was beginning to get dark.

Other vehicles were also forced to take evasive action, not only to avoid the trailer but also the collision which subsequently occurred.

Following the accident Simpson restarted the tractor and drove it clear. He was later traced by police and accepted his part in the incident.

His solicitor John Buchan said his client had held a licence since 1948 but when he reached the age of 70 it was not renewed.

He had had a lifelong interest in tractors and had arranged for a friend to pick up a trailer in Perth.

This friend let him down, however, and Simpson decided to collect it himself.

He managed to drive to Perth and back again with the trailer.

He intended to turn right at the Dunning junction, pulled into the central reservation and was waiting for a gap in traffic to complete the manoeuvre.

Simpson suffers from renal illness and “he felt the urgent need to relieve himself.”

He therefore got out of his tractor, left it in the central reservation and walked across the dual carriageway to relieve himself, thinking his vehicle was in a safe position.

It was at that point the incident occurred.

Mr Buchan said Simpson accepts he should not have been on the road as his eyesight at that time was deteriorating and he is now registered blind.