A Darlington cheese factory worker, who was bitten to the corner of an eye by a spider a couple of days before being clocked driving at 157km/h, will now have to do a road safety awareness course.
Dru Martin, 25, pleaded guilty in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court this week to dangerous driving after he was caught speeding at more than 45km/h above the limit.
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Police said that at 6.35pm on January 16 this year Martin was driving a brown Holden Commodore north at Bookaar when he was checked on a police radar at 157km/h in 100 zone.
The road was a one lane carriageway that required drivers passing in the opposite direction to move off the road into the dirt.
The Holden Commodore was impounded for one month at a cost of nearly $1300.
Martin told police he just wanted to get home, he had been bitten to the corner of his eye by a spider, but there was no excuse for his driving behaviour.
Pleading guilty to the charge leads to a minimum driver's licence suspension of 12 months.
Magistrate Nunzio La Rosa said Martin struck him as a sensible 25-year-old apart from the speeding incident.
He said that as soon as a vehicle touched the shoulder of the road at that speed the driver was no longer in control.
The magistrate said that he knew people in similar circumstances who had been involved in collisions, been charged with culpable driving and sentenced to serve years in prison.
Mr La Rosa said Martin had already lost almost $1300 and he would be dependent on his partner to drive him around for the next 12 months.
In addition to the 12-month licence suspension, Martin was placed on a six-month good behaviour bond and ordered to complete a road trauma awareness course, which will cost about $1500.
Mr La Rosa said he wanted Martin to explain that experience to other 25-year-olds and the magistrate hoped the course was eye-opening.
"You were stupid on this occasion. Mistakes are made, don't repeat them," he told Martin.
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Andrew Thomson
Long-time senior journalist
Long-time senior journalist
