Armless man charged with driving offence

Colin Smith leaves the Tauranga District Court yesterday. Picture / Alan Gibson

An armless man who was allegedly speeding and driving with his feet has been charged with dangerous driving.

Colin Raymond Smith entered no plea during a brief appearance at the Tauranga District Court yesterday.

The 31-year-old Tauranga beneficiary was ordered by a registrar to reappear at the court later this month.

His appearance came six weeks after he was allegedly stopped on State Highway 29 at Papamoa. The incident was first reported at the time.

Police radar had clocked the man doing 121km/h in a 100km/h zone.

When the officer who pulled him over approached the car, he saw that the man's foot was on the dash and his seat was reclined.

Constable Brent Gray said at the time that he was shocked when he realised the man had been using one foot to steer and the other to control the brake and accelerator.

Smith had told Constable Gray he was born with no arms, had never had a driver's licence and had been driving with his feet for years.

There were two passengers in the car, one of whom had a driver's licence.

The man was issued with a $170 speeding ticket and forbidden to drive until he got a licence.

Police had been weighing up whether to charge him with dangerous driving since the March 23 incident.

It's now alleged that Smith drove "in a manner which ... might have been dangerous to the public" on that day.

Smith was anxious to steer clear of the media yesterday, leaving the court immediately after his appearance.

Two women who were with him in court drove to pick him up.

He earlier declined requests for an interview, saying he had been upset by the story of the armless speedster appearing in newspapers.

"I'm the kind of person who likes to keep a low profile," he said.

He said he felt his privacy had been invaded, despite no mention of his name being made, and would not say how long he had been driving.

But he acknowledged that he liked cars. "I do," he said, before walking away.

He was not the owner of the 1991 Nissan Bluebird he allegedly drove with his feet. It belonged to a woman in Papamoa.

Dangerous driving carries a maximum penalty of $4500 or three months in prison.

The minimum is a six-month disqualification from driving.