By Cam Lucadou-Wells
An 18-year-old driver has modified his Commodore’s suspension into an unsafe state and then crashed while speeding through a chicane in a Berwick estate, a court heard.
The man had rendered his car unroadworthy by removing its rear suspension and lowering the springs, police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Gary Van Der Poel told Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 29 March.
With two passengers on board, the P-plate driver clipped a chicane at 60km/h on a 50km/h section of Bellevue Drive on 8 January about 8.30pm.
He lost control of the car due to a combination of speed and the reconfigured suspension, Lead Sen Const Van Der Poel said.
The car crashed head-on into a parked vehicle, causing “considerable damage” to the front of both, the court was told.
When police arrived, both vehicles were facing in the same direction.
The front passenger suffered shock and a soft-tissue injury to her left arm. She was taken to Casey Hospital by ambulance, the court heard.
The man faced charges of dangerous driving, and driving as a P-plate holder with more than one peer passenger.
The accused’s car had hit a pothole just before entering the chicane, defence lawyer Esan Pilai told the court.
He hadn’t had a licence for long, had compensated the other car owner and expressed remorse, Mr Pilai said.
The crash could have had far worse consequences, he conceded.
Magistrate Julie O’Donnell warned the man that a dangerous driving charge carried a potential jail term.
He was fined $800 without conviction, and ordered to complete a safe-driving program.
