Cabbie banned for a year for impaired drivingPublished Sep 12, 2012 at 12:01 am (Updated Sep 11, 2012 at 10:37 pm) A taxi driver who crashed into a parked trailer on Front Street was yesterday banned from the roads.
Neville Smith, 78, admitted to officers on the scene that he had been drinking rum before the midday collision took place.
According to prosecutor Tawana Tannock, at around 1pm on September 4, Smith was driving a grey taxi east on Front Street.
Officers saw him stopped at a red light near Fagan’s Alley, but when the light turned green he veered to the left and struck the trailer.
No one was injured in the collision, but the taxi driven by the defendant suffered extensive front end damage.
Asked by officers what happened, the Southampton senior said: “I don’t know. I just need to take my taxi and go.”
The officers noticed that Smith appeared to be unsteady on his feet and that his voice was slurred, and asked him if he had been drinking.
Smith responded: “I had a couple of Cockspurs.”
Appearing in Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Smith pleaded guilty to a single charge of driving while impaired, and apologised for his actions.
Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo fined Smith $800 and disqualified him from driving all vehicles for a period of one year.
Asked about his status as a taxi driver, a Ministry of Transport spokesman said that the defendant would be unable to drive a taxi during his period of disqualification.
“The offender in this case will not be able to automatically drive a taxi at the end of the disqualification period because his [taxi] license expires during his time off the road,” the spokesman said. “He will have to appear before the Public Service Vehicles Licensing Board before renewing his license.”
Source; http://www.royalgazette.com/article/201 ... /709129957
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