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One of Scotland ’s oldest drivers is battling to keep his driver's licence after a super-slow trip along a busy road.  Retired coastguard Herbert Street , 96, was attempting to get his car, an F-registered Fiat Uno which he calls Maggie Jane as a tribute to his late wife, to a garage after engine troubles started.

So much steam was coming from under the bonnet that he was forced to slow right down to 15mph, as he was having great difficulty in being able to see out of the windscreen.  Motorist made frantic calls to both the police and fire services reporting a vehicle on fire and that the driver was unable to see for the alleged smoke.  Approaching a roundabout he failed to give way to a lorry, causing it to brake sharply to avoid an accident. The lorry driver and another motorist who was following in the lengthy tailback of traffic gave pursuit at speeds of up to 20mph and alerted police. Mr Street, who has been driving since 1924, failed to stop for officers following him, despite them using horns and blue lights.  When they attempted to stop the vehicle he mounted the verge in an attempt to get past their marked patrol vehicle.

Full story here, a special for DSA from Scottish journalist John MacInnes.

Dumfries Sheriff Court heard yesterday that when he was eventually stopped he was breathalysed and his vehicle impounded.

The pensioner admitted driving carelessly and at an unnecessarily slow speed, but denied allegations of being a dangerous driver.  Mr Street, from Kirtlebridge in Dumfriesshire, said: “This is my 10^th year of having a no claims bonus.  If I’ve had no bumps and the insurance company is giving me cheap insurance my driving can’t be that bad, can it?  

“The police said I was driving to get away from them but it was just that I couldn’t see very well because of the steam coming out of the engine – I wanted to be as safe as possible.”

The pensioner claims the fan belt broke as he drove along the A75 to Annan.   Mr Street added : “I should’ve stopped straight away but I was trying to get it to the garage.  I don’t wear glasses when I am driving.  One of my sons is 56 and he has to get me to read the papers to him because I can see better than he can.”

The incident took place in January, and yesterday Mr Street's doctor confirmed to the court that the motorist is healthy for his age.

Sheriff Kenneth Ross is still considering disqualifying Mr Street and has adjourned the matter until 29 June for further reports.