A Southampton man who was impaired when he struck another car while overtaking a bus has been banned from driving.

Quinton Baisden, 27, pleaded guilty in Magistrates’ Court to driving while impaired last weekend.

The court heard that on Saturday morning, Junita Woolridge was driving south along St Mary’s Road in Warwick when she saw a car travelling in the opposite direction overtaking a bus. She pulled over to the left in an attempt to avoid a crash, but the oncoming car struck the back of her car.

After the collision, the other car stopped and Baisden stepped out, approaching Ms Wooldridge and her car. He touched the back of her car and told her: “It’s not that serious. It’s not my problem.”

Baisden allegedly then drove away from the scene.

Ms Woolridge called police, who arrived to investigate the collision. While speaking with officers, she noticed the same car that had struck her travelling west along St Mary’s Road with the same driver and pointed it out to the police.

Officers stopped the car and noticed Baisden, the driver, smelled of alcohol and was slurring his words. Asked if he had been drinking, Baisden said nothing. He was arrested on suspicion of impaired driving. Appearing in court, Baisden said: “I was wrong for driving under the influence. Sorry for wasting the court’s time.”

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo fined Baisden $1,200, banning him from driving all vehicles for one year.