A drink driver careered down the wrong carriageway of the now notorious A94 and then emergency stopped in the middle of the road – to jump out for a pee.
Motorists had to take evasive action to avoid another serious accident on the road that last year claimed the life of Coupar Angus toddler Harlow Edwards.
Imants Budreckis was told he had made an “an already dangerous road even more dangerous” and had posed a serious risk to the safety of other road users.
He only narrowly avoided a prison sentence at Perth Sheriff Court, though Sheriff William Wood banned him from the road for two years and seized his car, which will now be destroyed.
The first phase of new road safety measures were introduced on the A94 in late April and campaigners are calling for the process to go even further — though all steps would have had a limited impact on a driver like Budreckis.
Motorists described seeing his ageing Nissan Micra stationary by the side of the road, between Coupar Angus and Meigle, before indicating and pulling into the path of traffic.
He moved into the wrong carriageway, towards oncoming vehicles, which had to take swift evasive action to avoid a collision.
Budreckis then “stopped suddenly” in the middle of the road, bringing all traffic on the road to a complete standstill.
Witnesses saw him fling an empty bottle of alcohol from his window before staggering out of his vehicle to relieve himself in a nearby field.
Members of the public were so concerned by his condition that they removed his car keys from the ignition.
Budreckis barely appeared to notice as he finished urinating and then clambered back into the driver’s seat and slumped forward, fast asleep.
The near insensible seasonal worker was drooling on his steering wheel when police officers shook him awake a short time later.
They reported that he smelt strongly of alcohol, but he failed to provide a breath test.
He later admitted to social workers that he had consumed a significant amount of alcohol before climbing behind the wheel.
Budreckis, 29, of no fixed abode, admitted driving dangerously on the A94 on May 21 this year, forcing other road users to take evasive action to avoid a collision.
He also admitted failing to provide a breath test at Perth police office on the same day.
Sheriff William Wood told him: “This is the sort of incident that would make an already dangerous road even more dangerous to other road users and in fact made it impassable.
“As you candidly admit, you had a substantial amount to drink and it appears you were unable to drive safely in any way.
“Abandoning a vehicle in the middle of the road would have led to potential dangers for drivers travelling in both directions.
“It has led me to give very serious consideration to imposing a custodial sentence.”
In addition to banning Budreckis from the road, the Sheriff also ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
