A woman has been banned from driving after dash cam footage showed her crawling along a busy motorway at 20mph while trying to use her Sat Nav.
A Thap Quan, 48, was filmed trundling along in the middle lane of the M1 while other cars swerved to overtake her. Shockingly, at one point Quan even stopped her car while she used her mobile phone to call a friend to help her reset her Sat Nav.
A Highways officer spotted Quan and followed her as she travelled at just 20mph in her white Mini One on August 15 last year. The officer approached her car and told Quan to drive at a sensible speed but moments later she pulled into the middle lane without indicating.
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She continued driving at slow speeds on the northbound carriageway before crossing over a roundabout near junction 18. Quan, of Darlington, County Durham, was slapped with a one-year driving ban at Northampton Magistrates’ Court last month.
PC Mo Allsopp-Clarke, of Northamptonshire Police’s Safer Roads Team, said: “When the highway’s officer spoke to Quan, she admitted that she was trying to reset her sat nav whilst driving. He advised her to drive the short distance to Watford Gap Services but when Quan drove off, she again drove extremely slowly, before coming to a stop whilst using her phone to ask someone how to operate the sat nav.
“The highways officer continued to follow Quan, who drove off at 35mph and moved back into lane two. She remained at this speed before driving past the services towards junction 18. She then cut across from lane two onto the slip road – driving over the hatch markings – and drove round the roundabout, re-joining the M1 on the southbound carriageway.
“The dash cam footage captured Quan driving at slow speeds which was a danger not only to her but to other motorists and could have very easily ended in tragic consequences.”
Quan admitted one count of dangerous driving and was disqualified from driving for 12 months. She was also ordered to pay a £450 fine, £340 court costs and £34 victim surcharge.
