WRONG WAY: Motorist who drove on incorrect side of Tipperary motorway had no insurance

A man who was travelling on the wrong side of the motorway in the early hours of Christmas Eve was found to have no insurance, Judge Elizabeth MacGrath was told at Nenagh District Court.

Lahouri Guelaz, who was staying in a hotel in Donegal at the time of the offence, pleaded to dangerous driving and no insurance on the M7 on December 24, 2023.

The court heard that the gardaí had been alerted to Mr Guelaz’s driving by other motorists.

His solicitor, Elizabeth McKever, told Judge MacGrath that the incident happened at 4am when her client was travelling from Tralee to Dublin.

She said that Mr Guelaz’s satnav had brought him on to the motorway on the incorrect side.

“He can’t tell me when he got on the motorway. Thankfully, there was no accident,” she said.

Ms McKeever outlined that her client, an Algerian national, was married and had been living in a hotel in Donegal at the time but was now living in a hotel in Bray, county Wicklow.

Judge MacGrath described the incident as an “unfortunate error”.

“Thankfully, there was no traffic on the road,” she said.

She fined Mr Guelaz €150 for having no insurance and disqualified him from driving for two years.

The judge took the charge of dangerous driving into account.