Large fine for careless, speeding A303 driver

A woman has been fined more than £1,000 after speeding on the A303 and nearly causing a collision with another vehicle.

Helen Fernandes, 55, of Barrington, Cambridgeshire, pleaded guilty to careless driving at a hearing at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on November 4.

She was fined £1,230, required to pay a victim surcharge of £123, court costs of £90 and her licence endorsed by five points.

On February 20, at around 1.15 pm, Fernandes was observed by a member of Wiltshire Police’s Roads Policing Unit speeding along lane two of the A303 dual carriageway near Woodbine Hill, Salisbury.

The officer then followed Fernandes, who was doing between 85mph and 90mph.

Fernandes then cut across into lane one due to a filter in the road, forcing another vehicle to take immediate evasive action to avoid a collision.

She was then pulled over.

Roads Policing Officer Luke Hobbs said: “Fernandes was relying on cruise control to regulate her speed and lost focus on her driving.

“This is a clear example of the need to pay attention to your speed and driving at all times, particularly in poor weather as it was on the day.

“Fernandes’ driving nearly caused a bad accident and hopefully the hefty fine will be a reminder for her to pay better attention to the roads in future.”