A YOUNG woman detected driving down the wrong way on the Port Road in Letterkenny with “people hanging out of the sun roof” during the rally at the weekend has been fined.

Courtney Cahoon was before Letterkenny District Court on Monday charged that on Saturday, June 21, she did drive a vehicle in a manner (including speed) which having regard to all the circumstances of the case (including the condition of the vehicle, the nature, condition and use of such place and the amount of the traffic which then actually was or might reasonably be expected then to be therein) was dangerous to the public or was likely to be dangerous to the public. The offence is Contrary to section 53(1) of the Road Traffic Act, 1961 as substituted by section 4 of the Road Traffic (No. 2) Act 2011). Cahoon (19), 85 Sluggan Road, Pomeroy, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone was detected by gardaí driving a Volkswagen Passat down the wrong way on the Port Road.

Sergeant Jim Collins told the court there was “no great speed” involved. Solicitor Patsy Gallagher said that as his client is not local to the area she did not realise her error. He asked the court to consider reducing the Section 53 charge of dangerous driving to Section 52 careless driving.

Judge Éiteáin Cunningham said that while she appreciated that the defendant was not from the area, she was concerned to hear that there had been “people hanging out of the sun roof”. However, she agreed to reduce the charge to careless driving, and handed down a fine of €350.