A father-of-two told police he had intended killing himself when he deliberately drove his car into a bridge near Keighley on Christmas Eve.
Mark Cryer had left home in North Dean Road, Keighley, the worse for drink, after a row with his wife, Bingley Magistrates were told last Thursday.
Soon afterwards he smashed his Peugeot into a bridge near the hamlet of Goose Eye and then telephoned the police.
Cryer, 30, who pleaded guilty to drink-driving - he was just short of twice the legal limit - was banned from driving for 12 months and fined £165. He was also ordered to pay £45 court costs.
Prosecutor Mike Stott said Cryer was a victim of an unfortunate situation resulting from an argument with his wife when he arrived home the worse for drink.
It resulted in him leaving home at about 3am on Christmas Eve and deliberately crashing his car into the bridge.
"He rang the police and told them he was going to jump off," said Mr Stott.
When officers arrived at the scene, he told them he had had an argument with his wife and, in anger, drove away in his car and had hoped to smash through the bridge and kill himself.
Cryer was found to have 63 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.
He was arrested and kept in custody the equivalent of two days.
Keith Blackwell, for Cryer, said his unusual behaviour was sparked by the row with his pregnant wife.
"It was a needless act carried out in a moment of emotional trauma and turmoil.
"And consistent with his state of mind, he had no reason to run away and telephoned the police, which was the right thing to do," he said.
He was back at home and the issue was now resolved with his wife, the court heard.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article