On 4 March 2014, Peter John Rigby, 73, of Beamsley, Skipton, was captured reading at the wheel of his Honda Jazz for over 10 seconds by North Yorkshire Police’s mobile safety camera on the A59 at Beamsley Hill.
Mr Rigby pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at Skipton Magistrates’ Court on Friday 23 May 2014. He was fined £1,080 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £108 and costs of £85. In addition to being banned for 12 months, he was ordered to take an extended driving test.
Dave Brown, Safety Camera Team Manager, said: Mr Rigby captured the attention of the safety camera operator when he began to wander across the dotted white line of the overtaking lane as he read the map.
The footage captured by the safety camera shows Mr Rigby is distracted for a least 10 seconds while flicking through his atlas and then holding it up to his face, completely obscuring his view of the road.
Those 10 seconds could have been disastrous for him or other road users. He should consider himself fortunate that he was in a position to attend court and escape with just a driving ban and hefty fine.
This case demonstrates the clear evidence captured by the safety camera and should serve as a reminder to other road users of the potential consequences if they choose to take unnecessary and dangerous risks.
