Taxi Driver Online

This initially looked a bit harsh, but maybe not

And presumably the David Wilson here representing the driver is David B Wilson, of cross-border fame?


Taxi driver who was 'looking at his phone' moments before Norton crash refused licence

https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/tees ... e-32570632

The motorist denied fault in the collision, suggesting it was a 'quirk of timing and fate', and said he was 'not distracted in any way' at the time

A taxi driver has been denied a licence after councillors heard he was "looking at his phone" in a crash. Another motorist complained that the taxi driver was "not paying attention to the road as he was looking at his mobile telephone" when their two vehicles collided on Crooks Barn Lane, Norton, at 4.30pm on March 3.

The crash was discussed as the unnamed taxi driver asked the Stockton Council's licensing committee to renew his hackney carriage and private hire driver licence, which had expired in March. The taxi driver disputed the other motorist's account.

He said the other driver caused the crash by coming into his lane at speed as he came around a corner. He denied being distracted but admitted looking at a device to see where he needed to go.

The committee heard from the other driver, who said he was driving along Curlew Lane, and not speeding, when the taxi driver hit the side of his vehicle despite his attempts to swerve. He said he was trapped inside his vehicle before he was taken to hospital.

He said the taxi driver apologised and accepted the collision was his fault, only to deny it later. He added the taxi driver was "clearly looking downwards as he turned the corner", appearing distracted by what the complainant believes could only have been a mobile device" and "pressing something, possibly a map".

David Wilson, representing the taxi driver, said he was "not distracted in any way" and was turning left while the other car was turning right, with both drivers denying any fault. The other driver denied that he was turning at the time.

'Members were not persuaded'

Mr Wilson said the collision might have been a "quirk of timing and fate". The taxi driver said he did not use a device, never admitted responsibility for the crash and still denied any fault in it.

The taxi driver's driving licence showed 10 DVLA penalty points. He denied an offence of failing to give driver information from 2024, and said he was appealing this conviction, but he accepted he had committed two speeding offences in seven months, and expected to have seven or more points on his driving licence once those matters had concluded.

Considering their decision, the committee said the taxi driver "appeared to dispute matters repeatedly" and "did not appear to offer any mitigation in relation to the speeding offences that he accepted guilt for. He appeared to suggest such errors were a 'fait accompli' for anyone driving for a number of years."

They raised concerns about his attitude and noted three previous warnings did not have the desired effect. Minutes from the meeting say: "Members were not persuaded that [the] combined hackney carriage and private hire driver was a fit and proper person, as they found that they had too many doubts in relation to the matters of concern before them.

"The committee members were not satisfied that they would allow people for whom they care to enter a vehicle with [the driver] due to their doubts surrounding his history of driving-related incidents and offences." The committee unanimously decided to refuse the application for a hackney carriage and private hire driver licence.

Edit - maybe what I said earlier about the use of the term 'fait accompli' was a bit of a 'fait accompli' on my part

All I meant is that the sense it's used in above isn't maybe the most obvious or prominent meaning