British athletics legend Linford Christie has been hit with a driving ban after crashing his car into a taxi while travelling on the wrong side of the road.

The sprinter smashed his luxury Audi head-on into the cab, which was carrying a newlywed couple, near his ex-girlfriend's home in Buckinghamshire, England in May 2010.

Christie admitted the accident happened after he suffered a "lapse", telling a court in England this week, "I was just driving along and the next thing I knew, I saw a light and we had a crash, and that was it... I accept that it was my fault."

On Thursday, the athlete, who took gold in the 100 metres at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, was found guilty of careless driving but was cleared of a more serious charge of dangerous driving.

He was banned from getting behind the wheel for 15 months and ordered to pay an $8,000 fine and $1,600 in court costs.