A man in his 20s from Telford has been jailed for dangerous driving after being caught driving more than two times the speed limit in a 30-mph zone.
Joshua New, of Dawley, Telford, was arrested by police after he was spotted driving at 60-80 mph in a 30-mph zone. He was charged with one count of driving dangerously, one count of failing to stop for the police, two counts of driving without insurance and two counts of driving while disqualified.
The following day, he pleaded guilty to all six charges at Kidderminster Magistrates Court. He was handed a sentence of 12 months custody and a 41-month driving ban, after which he will be required to retake his driving test should he wish to continue to drive on UK roads.
Driving is classed as dangerous where the person’s standard of driving fell far below the standard expected of a competent driver, and whether it would be obvious to a competent driver that the person’s driving would be dangerous. There are, of course, many factors that must be taken into consideration when charges of careless or dangerous driving are brought upon a motorist.
Breaking the speed limit does not necessarily attract a dangerous driving charge. In Joshua New’s case, however, the very high speeds the driver attained while trying to evade the police mean that his driving met the ‘dangerous’ threshold. If someone’s driving is considered a potential danger to road users and pedestrians, this will be reflected in the sentence.