Drunk driving teacher crashes on method to lesson as passerby jokes ‘you may’t park there’
A Welsh driving instructor was left red faced after he crashed into a hedge on the side of the road on his way to a lesson, while four times over the legal alcohol limit
The instructor has now been found guilty of driving under the influence(Image: perfectlab via Getty Images)
It’s hard to imagine much worse than a drunk driver. Taking to the road after a night on the lash means not only putting your own life at risk but the lives of others too, and so is understandably pretty frowned upon to say the least.
One thing that is worse than a drunk driver, however, is a drunk driving instructor. Timothy Howells drove his driving school branded car into a thicket while over the legal limit. The 54-year-old was on his way to teach a lesson which likely included road safety to some poor learner while boozed up and reckless himself.
While clearly hammered, the instructor lost control of his VW Polo, and ended up driving into some shrubbery on the side of the road.
Arriving at the crash, police used a breathalyser on the instructor which found him four times over the legal alcohol limit, recording a breath test reading of 110. Onlookers to the crash subsequently found the irony at the scene.
In a video posted online, passers-by can be heard joking that Howells “can’t park there”, with another adding “Just a reminder now, you don’t want to have driving lessons off this guy.” Another voice can be heard asking a red-faced Howells if he’s had “Plenty to drink last night or what?”.
While the public may have seen the funny side, the officers at the scene certainly didn’t, arresting Howell’s for driving under the influence. The incident took place on the A484 between Pembrey and Kidwelly in West Wales.
Howells appeared at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court, where he was given an eight-week custodial sentence which was suspended for 18 months. He has also banned from driving for a total of 30 months after admitting to driving while drunk.
A police spokesperson warned that Howell’s had put himself and others at “a serious risk of harm”. They said: “Mr Howells was operating in a position of great trust and responsibility; Roads Policing officers have worked quickly in conjunction with colleagues, CPS and the DVSA, to ensure learner drivers and other road users have been safeguarded.”
England and Wales are set to adopt much stricter drink-driving limits, bringing them in line with the tougher standards already enforced in Scotland. Currently, the legal alcohol limit for drivers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland stands at 35 micrograms per 100ml of breath, 80mg per 100ml of blood, or 107mg per 100ml of urine.
In contrast, Scotland’s limits are significantly lower: 22 micrograms per 100ml of breath, 50mg per 100ml of blood, and 67mg per 100ml of urine.
Under the new road safety strategy, England and Wales will match Scotland’s thresholds, and a near-zero limit of 20mg per 100ml of blood is proposed for learner and novice drivers.
Penalties remain severe, ranging from hefty fines and lengthy driving bans to life imprisonment for causing death by careless driving under the influence, alongside other lasting consequences such as a criminal record and increased insurance costs.
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