Muir of Ord HGV driver left on 'a very slim tightrope' after Highland court appearance
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AN HGV driver answered a distress call from his pregnant wife and was rushing home when police stopped him for dangerous driving.
Robert Duguid was in his own car when police saw him speeding over the Kessock Bridge on March 21, last year.
The 26-year-old father of two then harshly accelerated out of the 50mph zone into the national speed limit and reached 110mph.
Duguid of Balvaird Terrace, Muir of Ord was stopped at Arpafeelie after overtaking another car and swerving back into his lane at high speed.
He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of careless driving at Inverness Sheriff Court. But his solicitor, Willie Young, told Sheriff Gary Aitken that his well-paid job was at risk if he lost his licence.
"He already has three points (for speeding) on his licence." Mr Young said. "He does 1000 miles a week and is involved in the transportation of food to the Ullapool area and his employers had paid for him to get his qualifications.
"But they run a business and if he is disqualified he is of no value to them. He is conscious that he has put his employment and the support of his family at considerable risk." Mr Young added.
Sheriff Gary Aitken commented: "Yes, he has let his employers badly down. One might have thought being caught for speeding in September, 2019 that he would have been more careful.
"This is careless driving at the highest end of the spectrum."
Addressing Duguid directly, the Sheriff went on: "You are extremely lucky not to have killed yourself or someone else when swerving from one carriageway to another at such high speed."
The Sheriff said he would not ban him from the road but warned him: "I will leave you on a very slim tightrope."
He fined Duguid £1200 and endorsed his licence with eight penalty points. This means that any endorsable road traffic offence will attract an automatic six month ban on the totting up procedure by exceeding the 12 point limit.
