A bus driver has narrowly avoided jail after causing a crash when he went the wrong way on a motorway slip road.
David Whyte's coach careered into an oncoming vehicle near Larkhall, Hamilton Sheriff Court heard this week.
Whyte, 58, of Netherwood Road, Motherwell, denied dangerous driving, but was found guilty after trial.
The court heard the bus went through a No Entry sign as it was leaving the M74 at junction 8 Canderside on July 19, 2019.
It veered into the path of another vehicle. Fortunately, there were no significant injuries.
Defence agent Ian Scott said Whyte accepted that "his mind would have been elsewhere at the time".
He added: "That junction can be unnerving for drivers."
Whyte had earned a living as a driver for 30 years, but the conviction meant the loss of his employment.
Sheriff Alasdair MacFadyen ordered Whyte to carry out 180 hours of unpaid community work and banned him from driving for 18 months.
He must resit his test if he wants to drive again.
The sheriff told him: "An aggravating factor is that you were driving a bus. It's fortunate no significant injury was caused to the other driver or you.
"In mitigation, you have no significant record, you have a good work record and you have family and caring responsibilities.
"Given the nature of the charge, I did have a custodial sentence in mind, but I'm prepared to offer you an alternative."
