Doctor was driving 'too fast' doing 28mph in 30mph zone

A judge has warned of the dangers of driving at "excessive and unreasonable" speed after a doctor, driving at 28mph in a 30mph zone, hit a 12-year-old child.

The court heard that Dr Shanthi Chandran was driving through Oxfordshire, in January 2018, when the girl stepped onto a pedestrian crossing.

Judge Dexter Dias said it was a "common misconception" that it was "reasonable" to drive just below the speed limit, the BBC reported. 

The child suffered a serious head injury as a result of being hit by the car and was also left with "cognitive and psychiatric problems", said Judge Dias, while outlining his conclusions in a ruling published on Wednesday (July 5) after considering evidence at a High Court hearing in London in April.

Dr Chandran, who was on her way to work in Milton Keynes, was driving her BMW i3 in Bicester, Oxfordshire, at the time of the incident.

Judge Dias said it was a "dark and rainy Monday morning”. She was driving at an "excessive, unsafe and unreasonable" speed and had failed to pay "sufficient attention to hazards and other road users".

The judge ruled it was in breach of Dr Chandran's duty of care towards the child and that she was 60% liable for the incident.

He then added that the child had stepped onto the pedestrian crossing when the light was green for traffic and was 40% liable.

"While this case is not about a fatality, it shows yet again how dangerous it is to drive at excessive and unreasonable speed," Judge Dias said.

He added Dr Chandran, who was sued for damages by the girl's mother, had not been reported by police for any criminal offences.

He said he had been asked to make decisions about liability and had not made any ruling about the size of any damages award.