A dangerous driver’s act of “exceptional recklessness” resulted in a crash which left two people injured.
John Keenan admitted crossing double solid white road markings to overtake when it was unsafe to do so on the A985 Rosyth to Crombie road, at the junction with Waggon Road, on May 19 last year.
A sheriff said he would have been jailed for years if he had caused a head-on smash as he would have “obliterated” the casualties.
Procurator fiscal depute Sean Maher told Dunfermline Sheriff Court: “The overtaking manoeuvre was unsuccessful and a collision occurred and both vehicles were extensively damaged.
“The vehicle being driven by Mr Keenan appears (to have) left the carriageway and come to rest in an adjacent field and the other vehicle came to rest in the middle of the carriageway.”
“If you’d encountered someone in the opposite direction you would have obliterated them, as well as yourself and these people in your car.”
— Sheriff Robert More.
Court papers state the car being driven by 47-year-old Keenan struck another car which was turning right at the time.
Mr Maher said a passenger in Keenan’s car suffered concussion and grazes to her forehead, arms and legs.
The female driver of the other car suffered whiplash and a mark caused by her seatbelt.
Sheriff’s prison warning
Defence lawyer Calum Harris said Keenan, of Lewis Court in Alloa, was distracted by another passenger in the back seat of his car.
He said that person suffers a number of mental health issues and became erratic and was attempting to open car doors.
Sheriff Robert More responded: “He has pled guilty to a libel that was overtaking and crossing two continuous white lines.
“I don’t think that, with respect, is consistent with him taking his attention off the road.”
The sheriff told Keenan: “This was an act of exceptional recklessness, in my opinion.
“If you’d encountered someone in the opposite direction you would have obliterated them, as well as yourself and these people in your car.
“Had that happened I would be measuring a prison sentence in years.
“In my opinion this is a case which well and truly crosses the custody (threshold) because it is by the grace of god there is not a victim in a more serious way than libelled.”
Sentencing
Sheriff More banned Keenan from driving for two years.
He was also sentenced to a restriction of liberty order for 72 days, which means he must stay at home between 7pm and 7am throughout this period.
The sheriff stressed this was a direct alternative to custody and if Keenan breached the order, he would “without question be sentenced to a period of prison for this offence.”
