Woman fined after nearly causing crash on A303
She was caught going more than 85mph near Chicklade
A woman has been fined more than £1,000 after being caught speeding on the A303 in Wiltshire, and nearly causing a collision with another vehicle.
Helen Fernandes pleaded guilty to careless driving at a hearing at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on 4 November 2022.
The 55 year old from Barrington in Cambridgeshire, was fined £1,230, required to pay a victim surcharge of £123, court costs of £90 and her licence endorsed by five points.
The incident happened on February 20, at around 1.15pm. Fernandes was spotted by a member of Wiltshire's Roads Policing Unit speeding along lane two of the A303 dual carriageway near Woodbine Hill at Chicklade.
The officer followed Fernandes, who was doing between 85mph and 90mph.
Fernandes then cut across into lane one due to a filter in the road, forcing another vehicle to take immediate evasive action to avoid a collision.
At was at this point Police then pulled her over.
Roads Policing Officer Luke Hobbs said:
“Fernandes was relying on cruise control to regulate her speed and lost focus on her driving."
“This is a clear example of the need to pay attention to your speed and driving at all times, particularly in poor weather as it was on the day."
“Fernandes’ driving nearly caused a bad accident and hopefully the hefty fine will be a reminder for her to pay better attention to the roads in future.”