A driver who spun her car and almost plunged down the cliff as she was travelling along King Edward Road in Onchan had bald tyres and defective brakes, a court has heard.
Tina Shimmin, of Cushag Road, Anagh Coar, lost control of her car, spun round and ended up wedged against a bush at the cliff top facing in the opposite direction after the accident on January 9.
Hazel Carroon, for the prosecution, said the 39-year-old was heading north in her Peugeot on a Saturday afternoon.
‘She crossed the carriageway and ended up facing back the way she had come, in the area of the Howstrake former holiday camp,’ Miss Carroon said.
She added Shimmin was doing around 40mph and was uninjured.
‘The car was only prevented from going over the cliff by a sturdy bush,’ Miss Carroon said.
A test centre examination of the car found defective tyres and handbrake. The defendant said she thought the spin was caused by something on the road surface but admitted the car had not been serviced while she had owned it.
Shimmin’s advocate Louise Cooil said her client bought the car a year previously. A friend had checked it over for her but it had not undergone a professional examination. She said Shimmin was not aware the car needed a service and she had failed to notice the tyres becoming worn.
She added the accident had been a frightening experience for Shimmin who had suffered occasional nightmares since it happened.
Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes said she would sentence on the basis that no-one else was involved in the accident.
‘You had the car for a year but it was only checked by a non-mechanic friend. The condition of the tyres should have been obvious,’ she said.
Shimmin admitted careless driving and having a car in a dangerous condition. She was fined a total of £700 with £50 costs, her licence was endorsed and she was banned from driving for six months.