A Dublin motorist's act of road courtesy landed him in Cookstown Magistrates' Court yesterday on a careless driving charge.
Mr Andrew Synnott, Wilfield Road, Sandymount, had pulled onto the hard shoulder of the busy A4 Dungannon to Ballygawley to allow faster traffic overtake.
Thinking the 28-year-old musician had fallen asleep, his passenger caught the steering wheel and pulled the car back onto the road and into the path of oncoming traffic. It resulted in a serious accident in which several drivers were injured.
An RUC inspector told the court the police held that Synnott was guilty of careless driving by initially pulling onto the hard shoulder. Magistrate Mr Maurice McHugh said in view of the unusual circumstances, he would give Synnott an absolute discharge, but he imposed three penalty points.