She may have escaped a jail sentence, but Celia Norris has certainly lost her right to cheap car insurance for women after a drink-driving rampage.
The 47-year-old from South Wales was three times over the limit and had three children in her car when she smashed into the back of another vehicle on the M5 on February 19th 2006. She fled the scene of the accident in her badly-damaged Citroen Xantia but drove into a flooded stream shortly afterwards.
At Exeter Magistrates' Court, Norris was given a four-month custodial sentence suspended for 18 months, fined £43 and banned from the road for a total of 28 months.
Blasting her behaviour, Hilary Drew, sentencing, said, "You were three times over the legal limit and you had three young children in the car.
"If you commit any further offences in the next 18 months you can be brought back and asked to serve the sentences imposed today."
Defending Celia Norris, Nick Emson said, "She had an unpleasant experience with her partner. She chose to deal with that by turning to alcohol and drank a considerable amount of vodka.
"It was a very poor decision and one that she regrets enormously."
Despite her luck at not being sent to prison, Norris is now going to struggle to find a cheap car insurance deal when she finally begins driving again. An online firm that deal only in car insurance for women would probably be able to give her the best premium.