Pensioner banned from driving for two years following serious injury collision on A43

An 84-year-old man will have to pass a new driving test before being allowed back behind the wheel after having his licence revoked for two years following a serious road traffic collision earlier this year.

Kenneth Harker, of Foxons Barn Road, Rugby, Warwickshire, was charged with causing serious injury by careless/inconsiderate driving after his black Volkswagen Golf GT Sport car collided with an oncoming motorist.

At about midday on January 14 this year, Harker was driving along the A43, near Blatherwycke in the north of the county, travelling towards Stamford with his wife.

He was witnessed drifting towards the central white line, causing the driver of a red Ford C-Max travelling in the opposite direction towards Corby, to take evasive action to avoid a head-on collision.

However, Harker’s vehicle continued to drift over onto the wrong side of the carriageway and collided with a blue KIA Rio, causing a serious leg fracture to the driver – a woman in her 20s from Birmingham.

Her passenger – a man in his 30s from Birmingham – sustained minor injuries along with both Harker and his wife. All four were taken to hospital where they received medical treatment.

Following an investigation, Harker was charged via a postal requisition and appeared before Northampton Magistrates’ Court on September 5, where he pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless/inconsiderate driving.

At the hearing, Harker was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, disqualified from driving for 24-months and will have to pass a new driving test before getting his licence back, and ordered to pay a £154 victim surcharge as well as £85 court costs.  

Lead investigator, PC Dom Preece of the Force’s Roads Policing Team, said: “Reducing the number of people who are killed and seriously injured on our roads remains our priority and to hold a driving licence is both a privilege and a responsibility.

“Driving any vehicle always needs your full attention - even the briefest lapse of concentration can have devastating consequences – and there’s absolutely nothing so important that can’t wait or is worth risking not getting home safely for.

“Kenneth Harker admitted that his driving fell below the legal requirements, and I am pleased he has been dealt with robustly by the courts.”

Tragically in 2023, after being involved in a road collision in Northamptonshire, 29 people never returned home safely to their loved ones, and 271 required urgent medical assistance for serious and life-changing injuries.