Saunders, of Swansea, South Wales, appealed against his disqualification at a hearing yesterday and said he had not “encouraged” the test drive.  Frank Phillips, defending, said: “When the unfortunate driver came to see it, he indicated to Mr Saunders that he was determined to buy it.  • Father and son in court battle over four classic rally cars worth £2.2m • Watch: Moment train crashes into car after banned driver jumps red lights  “He drove a short distance and sadly collided with a tree. But Mr Saunders did not encourage the driving.  “I think the magistrates apportion was unfair, respectfully. He was not responsible for driving, and colliding with the tree; he was not driving on a [public] road or for an extended period of time.”  Judge Peter Heywood, sitting at Swansea Crown Court, rejected his appeal and confirmed his 12 month driving ban.  The court was told Saunders had a long record of driving offences, had lost his home as a result of the accident, and had since divorced. He now helps his new partner run a pub in a Welsh village.  Dismissing the appeal, Judge Peter Heywood said: “It seems Mr Stroud lost control of the car on a bend and collided with a tree with fatal consequences.  “Sadly, Clifford Stroud died as a result of the accident, and Mr Saunders sustained injuries.  “The justices imposed a penalty and he was disqualified from driving for 12 months, and it is against that disqualification that the appeal is made. We have listened to the mitigation… but clearly there are aggravating factors. It is very significant there was a fatality, and this appellant [Saunders] has a bad record of driving offences.”  Clifford Stroud lived in the Swansea area and is survived by his mother and father and leaves a brother and sister.  Most dealers have special insurance cover in place to protect motorists who want to test drive vehicles. But the AA warned there is a “good chance” that motorists who test drive a car sold privately would not be covered. They also advised that you check your own car insurance to see if you can “drive another car with the owner’s permission”.  A similar incident happened in February when a businessman died instantly after he crashed a Ferrari 458 Spider into a tree just four minutes into a test drive.  Keith Poynton, 59, lost control when he took a corner too fast in the £200,000 car, coming off the road and smashing into a tree, an inquest heard.  There was “no question” that he was breaking the 60mph speed limit at the time of the crash, a forensic collision investigator said, blaming driver error for the accident.
A man selling his car has been banned from the roads for 12 months over the   death of a potential buyer, who died when the vehicle he was test driving   crashed into a tree