Drunk driving instructor crashes car into ditch

Timothy Howells was on his way to pick up a learner driver when he left the road and crashed into a hedge while over the drink drive limit

This was the scene at the side of a busy road in Carmarthenshire after a drunk driving instructor crashed his car on the way to pick up a learner driver for a lesson.

Officers from Dyfed-Powys Police were called to the A484 between Kidwelly and Pembrey – around seven miles west of Llanelli – last Friday morning after receiving a report of a car having left the road.

Arriving at the scene, officers saw that the vehicle involved was a learner car with the logo ‘RED’ written on its side and rear – referring to RED Driving School, a large driving school network which operates across the UK.

The network primarily operates by training and engaging driving instructors as self-employed franchisees rather than direct employees. Stay informed on Carms news by signing up to our newsletter here.

Following last Friday’s crash, which happened at around 7.38am, police arrested the driver of the car – driving instructor Timothy Howells, aged 54, from nearby Burry Port, who “appeared heavily intoxicated”.

While in custody Howells provided a breathalyser reading of 132 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath – around four times the legal limit of 35mg – and admitted that he was on his way to pick up a pupil for a driving lesson at the time of the crash.

He admitted a charge of drink driving and was banned from the road for 30 months, a timeframe which will be reduced by 30 weeks on completion of a driving course. He was also handed an eight-week prison sentence, suspended for a period of 18 months.

According to its website Red Driving School is “the largest trainer of driving instructors in the UK, having trained over 10,000 people to reach full ADI qualification”. The company was named the national driving school of the year for 2021.

The company said “nearly all driving instructors in the UK are self-employed, whether as an independent driving school or as part of a franchised national school”.

Red Driving School has been asked by Wales Online if Howells has been banned from working for or as part of its learner driving network. The company has refused to comment despite repeated attempts.

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