A Fife motorist caused a crash when he continued to drive after losing a tyre.
Stewart Smith, 32, hit a kerb and destroyed his tyre as he neared Lochgelly.
Instead of stopping and calling for help he continued to drive with sparks flying from one of his wheels.
He lost control in Crosshill and careered onto the wrong side of the road, colliding with another car.
Both vehicles were thrown into walls and damaged.
Smith and an occupant of the other car driven were taken to hospital. The driver of the other vehicle was not reported to have been hurt.
Smith admitted driving dangerously on Main Street, Crosshill, on September 12, last year, in a vehicle which did not have a tyre fitted to its front offside wheel.
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Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard that police were already looking for Smith, of Martin Crescent, Ballingry, when the crash happened.
A member of the public had contacted the force after becoming concerned after seeing Smith get into his car and forming the opinion he was unfit to drive.
As they drove from Kirkcaldy into Lochgelly officers saw debris on the road which appeared to have come from the effects of a road traffic collision.
Further along the route, they saw an badly damaged tyre lying in the road.
Meanwhile, another witness called police to report a car which appeared to have been involved in a collision and was still travelling along the road with sparks flying from its wheel.
Officers arrived in Crosshill shortly after Smith collided with the other car.
A breath test for alcohol was negative but Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court was told that Smith, who had been suffering from depression and anxiety, had taken valium before beginning the journey.
Sheriff Alison McKay was told Smith, who had lost his job the day before, had gone out for the evening. The court was told he began to feel unwell and decided to drive home.
Sheriff McKay told Smith he had put himself and others in danger and said: “It’s only down to good fortune that neither you nor the driver or passenger of the other car involved in the collision were hurt or, indeed, seriously hurt.”
Smith was placed on a community payback order with supervision for 12 months and 200 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to attend the road traffic offenders group and was disqualified from driving for 18 months.
