Picture – Ayr Sheriff Court. Credit – IRoberts
By Gideon Cable, reporting from Ayr Sheriff Court
A Belgian driver has been found guilty today (Friday 19th September) of careless driving causing serious injuries after a head-on collision on the wrong side of the road.
Jimmy De Breucker, 53, had only been in the country for eight hours when the accident occurred on the A714 near Pinwherry in South Ayrshire on the 23rd September, 2023.
His left-hand drive Porsche GT3 crashed into a Renault Scenic on a “blind right-hand bend” which he took whilst in the opposite lane.
The local Renault driver, 72, was hospitalised and put into an induced coma for two days following surgery.
The passenger in the Porsche also suffered serious injuries that required surgery and a hospital stay.
De Breucker admitted responsibility for the crash. The jury was asked to decide whether his actions qualified as dangerous or careless under the Road Traffic Act.
Section of road on A714 where the accident happened. Credit: Google Street View
The defence’s case suggested the overtaking manoeuvre was completed much earlier and his positioning in the wrong lane was careless, having the habit of driving in the right-hand lane for more than 35 years in Belgium.
The prosecution’s evidence suggested that the collision was the result of a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre too close to the corner.
De Breucker had never driven in Scotland prior to this incident.
The jury took less than 30 minutes to return a unanimous verdict of the lesser charge of careless driving, striking the reference to overtaking.
Sheriff Siobhan Connelly underlined he had been found, “guilty of a reduced charge but a serious charge”
He has been immediately disqualified from driving in the UK. Full sentencing and determination of the length of the ban will take place in late October.
His Porsche was the middle vehicle in a group of three cars travelling together during the ‘Tour Scotland’ event organised by the Belgian company Tour Amical.
More than 240 mainly left-hand drive vehicles took part in the tour that transports owners’ high-end cars to Scotland for a seven-day trip which included stays at luxury hotels.
A “road book” is provided containing directions and instructions, beginning with emphasis on driving in the left-hand lane.
Figures released by Transport for Scotland in December 2024 showed 35 incidents resulting in casualties involved “inexperience of driving on the left”. This is an increase of 46% from the previous year and represents 1 in every 200 accidents.
