A pensioner drove out of a side road and ran straight into the back of a bus when she failed to notice it had stopped, a court has been told.

Grace Johnston drove into the bus when it stopped just to the left of the junction she was turning out of, but instead of stopping, she reversed then sped away without stopping.

Her advocate said the 86-year-old had an urgent appointment at Eden Park and didn’t want to be late.

For the prosecution, James Robinson told Douglas magistrates Johnston was pulling out of Clybane Road into Stevenson Way when the accident happened just before midday.

He said the bus had passed the side road then stopped just after at a bus stop. But the driver felt a small impact at the back of his bus, then saw the defendant reverse, pull around the bus and drive away. When police later visited her at home at Silverburn Crescent in Ballasalla, she initially maintained the bus was at fault for stopping so close to the junction. She told them she was on her way back from the hairdressers and was in a rush so she did not stop.

Johnston admitted careless driving on April 19 and failing to report the accident. A charge of failing to stop after the accident was withdrawn.

Defending her, Aalish Hannan, said it had not been possible to view CCTV of the incident.

’As far as the accident is concerned, she did collide with the back of the bus. She approached the ’Give Way’ sign from Clybane Road into Stevenson Way, and immediately on your left is a bus stop, very close to the junction. The bus indicated later because it was not turning into Clybane Road,’ she told the court.

She said Johnston had been driving for 54 years and was heavily reliant on her car.

Magistrates noted a letter from Johnston’s GP confirming she was medically fit to drive.

She was fined £250 on each offence with costs of £50 and received six points for careless driving.

Chairman David Christian told her: ’You need to take more care.’