A driver who drove up the wrong side of the road with no lights on towards a police car, causing the police officer to swerve to avoid a collision, was found to be almost three times the drink limit.
Edinburgh man Ian McNeil, 22, of Sighthill View, was arrested after police stopped his car and smelled alcohol on his breath.
A breath test showed a reading of 96 microgrammes, almost three times the then legal limit of 35 mics, in Perth Road, Dundee, on November 22 two weeks before the limit was lowered to 22 mics on December 5.
The court heard McNeil, an air-conditioning engineer, would not lose his job if he lost his licence, but solicitor Anika Jethwa told the court a colleague would have to drive from his home in Airdrie to pick him up in Edinburgh and drive them both to East Kilbride.
She said his employers were willing and prepared to keep his job open as he was a well regarded employee.
Depute fiscal Kirsten Thomson said police saw the accused’s car coming towards them at around 1am with no lights on, in the wrong lane.
“The driver was forced to take evasive action to avoid a collision and stopped the accused’s vehicle,” she said.
“When he was out of the car he appeared unstable and a breath test proved positive,” she said.
Ms Jethwa said McNeil had been out with friends from school who were at university in Dundee and was supposed to be staying at a flat with one of them.
However, she said, he became separated from them and although he waited in his car outside the flat, no one arrived and he foolishly decided to drive the car.
Sheriff Hughes told McNeil: “Your difficulty is your reading is very high it’s almost three times the limit.”
He banned him from driving for 18 months and fined him £700.