Driving instructor crashes into ditch on way to collect student
A driving instructor was shockingly found crashed in a ditch, under the influence, while on the way to a lesson with a student.
Timothy Howells, 54, was making his way to his first lesson of the day with Red Driving School when he crashed his car.
Police soon showed up to the scene, finding Howells in his driving school marked VW Polo, with the vehicle firmly in a ditch.
He was found to be four times over the legal drinking limit, as motorists saw the drunken instructor in the ditch while driving past.
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They even filmed him as he looked out of the open driver's side window, as one shouted: "Plenty to drink last night or what? You can't park there mate," in a hilarious callback to a classic British meme.
Another video shows the man on camera saying: "Just a reminder now, you don't want to have driving lessons off this guy."
Howells admitted in an interview that when he was arrested by officers, he actually was on his way to a driving lesson, as a court heard the incident occurred around 7:38am on Friday 20 February.
Police had reported that there was a single vehicle collision on the A484 between Pembrey and Kidwelly, in West Wales.
The Brit appeared heavily intoxicated when found by officers, as an initial roadside breathalyser test showed a reading of 110, with Howell subsequently being arrested on suspicion of drink driving.
"A short time later while in custody, Howells provided a second evidential breath test reading of 132 – four times over the limit," a police spokesperson stated.
Appearing at Llanelli Magistrates' Court, he was handed an eight-week custodial sentence, which has been suspended for 18 months.
Howell was also banned from driving for 30 months after admitting to the crime.
Chief Inspector Christina Fraser said: “Mr Howells was operating in a position of great trust and responsibility; Roads Policing officers have worked quickly in conjunction with colleagues, CPS and the DVSA, to ensure learner drivers and other road users have been safeguarded from an individual who presented a serious risk of harm.”
The Red Driving School website claims to be 'the largest trainer of driving instructors in the UK, having trained over 10,000 people to reach full ADI qualification' on their website, with the company being named the national driving school of the year 2021.
A further read reveals that 'nearly all' of the school's driving instructors in the UK 'are self-employed, whether as an independent driving school or as part of a franchised national school'.
Red Driving School declined to comment.
Joshua Nair