Malmesbury man given driving ban after causing head on collision whilst intoxicated

A Malmesbury man who lost control of his vehicle whilst under the influence of alcohol has been given a driving ban.

Simon Wright, 43, of Parklands, Malmesbury, appeared at Swindon Crown Court on July 26 and pleaded guilty to driving dangerously and drink driving.

He was given a two year driving disqualification, an 18 month suspended prison sentence and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay £2,000 compensation and a £187 surcharge.

At 4.30pm on March 25, 2023, Wright was driving an Audi RS4 with a front seat passenger and children in the vehicle from Malmesbury to Little Somerford. He was seen to exit Priory roundabout at such speed having overtaken two vehicles, he lost control of the car and skidded into the face of oncoming traffic, colliding with another vehicle.

Emergency services attended the scene and Wright failed a breath test. He sustained a number of injuries whilst it is believed his front seat passenger was also injured. The children were treated for shock but fortunately were not injured.

The driver and the passenger of the second vehicle were admitted to hospital but thankfully not seriously injured.

PC Luke Hobbs, from the Roads Policing Unit, said: “This standard of driving, especially whilst under the influence of alcohol, is totally unacceptable on our roads and poses a significant danger to other road users. The fact that there were young children also in the vehicle at the time does not bare thinking about.

“Dangerous driving and drink driving are two of the fatal five offences most likely to cause serious harm or death on our roads and we are 100 per cent dedicated to targeting those committing these offences in order to keep our roads safe.

“We all know alcohol can give you a false sense of confidence and unfortunately all too often we see drivers getting behind the wheel of a car having consumed alcohol under the impression they are invincible. It should not take a serious collision like this to understand the serious consequences of your actions if you are one of these people.

“I am pleased that as a result of his selfish and mindless actions, Wright has been banned from our roads.”

• Last week saw the launch of the police's summer road safety campaign, which focuses on the Fatal Five offences and carries the message that there is ‘no excuse’ to commit any of these offences. For more information visit 'No Excuse' road safety campaign launches today | Wiltshire Police