Back-seat drivers are irritating at the best of times - but one Tauranga woman has taken it to a new level. Admittedly, Ruth Marei Morgan, 60, was sitting beside the driver rather than in the back seat when she caused a car crash on a major road six weeks ago. In TaurangaDistrict Court yesterday, Morgan pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving after an incident in which she was a passenger in a car being driven by her husband along Cameron Rd about 5.20pm on October 28. Morgan reached over and twice pulled on the car's steering wheel causing it to swerve dangerously to the left. Her husband took evasive action and slammed on the brakes, causing the car to stop suddenly. A car behind them did not have time to stop and crashed into the back of the vehicle. In explanation, Morgan told police she was not happy with something her husband had said and wanted to get out of the car. In convicting her, community magistrate Heather White took into consideration Morgan's clean record until now and the fact this was her first appearance in court. "You've got all this way through life and it's your first appearance in court," she said. Morgan was fined $150 and ordered to pay court costs of $130.
