A motorist selling his car has been banned from driving after a would-be buyer took it for a test drive – and was killed in a crash. The owner of the vehicle  had failed to ask the potential buyer whether he was insured when he let him take his silver Ford Mondeo out for a test drive, a court heard.

The owner had been with the potential buyer during the test driver, who lost control of the car on a tight bend. The Ford had skidded off the road and smashed into a tree – killing the driver. The owner, who was in the passenger seat, suffered a dislocated shoulder in the crash and had to be cut from the wreckage by emergency crews

However a court ruled that the owner, had failed to check if the potential buyer was adequately insured for the test drive and he was charged with aiding and abetting another using a motor vehicle without third party insurance.

The owner, from Swansea, South Wales, had appealed against his disqualification yesterday and said he had not ‘encouraged’ the test drive. However, Judge Peter Heywood, sitting at Swansea Crown Court, rejected his appeal and confirmed his 12 month driving ban. He said:

‘We have listened to the mitigation but clearly there are aggravating factors…It is very significant there was a fatality, and this appellant has a bad record of driving offence.’