A cabbie who crashed his taxi with two passengers in it on the Mountain Road has been fined £600 for careless driving.

Enrico Jose Defeo Salvador claimed that a lane assist function on his car, which automatically steers the vehicle back into its lane, had contributed to the accident.

Salvador’s Peugeot crashed through wire fencing near Guthrie’s Memorial with the car ending up in a field.

Deputy High Bailiff James Brooks also endorsed the 42-year-old’s licence with seven penalty points.

Prosecuting advocate Rachael Braidwood told the court how a witness reported seeing the grey Peugeot being driven ’erratically’ on October 3 at 5am on the Mountain Road.

The car ended up going through the fence and resting around five metres into a field.

Salvador and the two passengers were uninjured.

When questioned by police, the cabbie, who lives at Eleanora Drive in Douglas, claimed there had been a fault with the steering due to the lane assist function.

A vehicle examiner found no fault in the Peugeot.

During an interview, Salvador told police visibility was poor on the night and that he had to use the centre line markings as a guide.

He said that the auto lane correct had then kept pulling his car back to the side.

The court heard that he has three points on his licence previously for a speeding offence.

Defence advocate Stephen Wood said that the lane assist was a feature that was appearing in newer cars and that it did pull vehicles back if they went towards the centre line too much.

’Mr Salvador would dispute his driving was erratic,’ said the advocate.

’He was not particularly used to driving on the Mountain Road and the weather was appalling.

’There are no cat’s eyes and he was using the centre line as a guide.

’A combination of the poor road surface, poor visibility, and the auto lane assist have contributed.

’But he accepts his standard of driving has fallen below the required standard.

’The vehicle was some five metres into the field. We would submit it was not particularly far.

’It was a wire fence and the vehicle was still on all four wheels.

’Everyone alighted a little bit shaken if not stirred.’

Deputy High Bailiff James Brooks told Salvador: ’If it was caused by the lane system you should have pulled over. Carrying on seems to have been the worst possible outcome.’

He was also ordered to pay £50 prosecution costs and will pay by March 31 next year.