Motorway Cops Catching Britain's Speeders S01E05
Motorway Cops Catching Britain's Speeders S01E05
Transcript
00:00It's a busy afternoon for Cheshire Police.
00:07I've never been in an accident before.
00:09Right.
00:10Well, I said, you know, this bad.
00:12I'm just feeling a bit shook up at the moment and I'm worried.
00:15I just don't think it's drivable. I've not checked.
00:17It looks like it is. It should be.
00:19It's just for safety reasons, I would say, get it checked out.
00:23On this occasion, the driver of the car only has minor injuries,
00:27the outcome is far worse.
00:35With deaths and serious injuries caused by accidents on our roads on the increase,
00:39it's no wonder that around a quarter of all UK vehicles now have dashcams fitted.
00:49It's just crashed. It's crashed upside down.
00:53And the great British public are capturing outrageous driving on camera.
01:01Across the country, motorway cops are relying more and more
01:04on the evidence of dashcams uploaded to them.
01:08Oh, my God.
01:13Cop it. Cop it.
01:18What's that one? 301 over five.
01:20In this series...
01:21You haven't got a dashcam, have you?
01:23Conscious and breathing, being seen to by fire and ambulance,
01:26possible spinal injuries.
01:27Whoa, whoa, whoa.
01:28..we follow them.
01:31I never saw that. Oh, my God.
01:34As they crack down on Britain's bad drivers.
01:41Tonight, they need to solve the riddle of why a driver fails to stop...
01:45There's something not right with this.
01:47At the moment, it's a bit of a mystery.
01:49..race to deliver life-saving medical equipment...
01:52Keep that breathing going for us.
01:54He has got a pulse.
01:55Why didn't you wind it down?
01:57..and an impatient driver feels the full force of the law.
02:01There's a no-entry lane! That's a ticking!
02:17PC Dave Reid has been a police officer for eight years.
02:21Hi, Princess. How are you? Have you had a good day at school?
02:24Uh-huh.
02:26Good. Yeah.
02:28A good day at school?
02:30I don't go to school, do I?
02:34Right. What have you done at school today?
02:38Sausage dancing?
02:40All right, I'll let you go. I love you a lot, sausage.
02:43Love you. Bye.
02:46I finish at eight o'clock, so by the time I finish and leave,
02:50my son will be in bed
02:53and my daughter will be...
02:56She'll be in bed from about eight to half eight.
02:58So, yeah, it just gives me the opportunity now,
03:00while I can quickly ring her.
03:02For this father of two, it's straight back to work.
03:12Dave's boss, and head of Cheshire's Roads and Crime team,
03:15is Inspector Anton Sullivan.
03:20It's 2.30 in the afternoon, and eight miles away from Dave,
03:24Anton is following a vehicle along the M6.
03:27I tell Sierra Zero-One, this vehicle's driving erratically.
03:30I think this vehicle may fail to stop.
03:37Anton trails the suspicious driver in his unmarked silver car,
03:42while Dave follows in another unmarked car.
03:47I haven't activated my emergency equipment yet.
03:50Just wait and see.
03:52This vehicle is failing to stop. I'm declaring a pursuit.
03:58SIREN WAILS
04:07Pursuit is authorized. Just keep your commentary coming.
04:11Sierra Zero-One, not reacting to my emergency equipment.
04:15Vehicle's driving erratically. It's using lanes one, two and three.
04:19Any other patrolmen can assist the inspection, stopping this vehicle.
04:22Unit 174 on down.
04:26Right, try and catch the boss.
04:34Mail's doing 90 miles an hour.
04:37Traffic is moderate to heavy.
04:49Other drivers are slow to realise that Dave's car is an unmarked police car.
04:54I'll move out of my way.
05:02He's swerving lane to lane.
05:04He's trying to indicate for me to overtake him.
05:11In heavy traffic, Dave has to use the hard shoulder,
05:14now touching 94 miles per hour.
05:18The driver seems to be waving his arms
05:20and doing all sorts of signals out the window.
05:22I don't know what his problem is.
05:33Police pursuits like this are far from uncommon.
05:40In Canterbury, this driver was pursued by the police
05:45for assaulting two women and a child.
05:47He was jailed for three years.
05:53The driver of this Audi was chased by the police
05:56for a series of burglaries in the Wiltshire area.
06:00In a joint operation between the Central Motorway Police
06:04and Cheshire Constabulary,
06:06the vehicle was stung and eventually stopped.
06:14The driver received a two-year jail sentence
06:17and was disqualified for eight years.
06:23Back on the M6, PC Dave Reid is closing the gap
06:27on the driver who won't stop.
06:29Move! Move!
06:33In the lead pursuit vehicle,
06:35Inspector Anton Sullivan is a minute ahead.
06:39Yeah, it's a CR01 vehicle
06:41that's forced its way into the off-ramp.
06:48The driver gestures wildly out of the window
06:51in a bid to throw Anton off.
06:59The vehicle has cut across into the off-slip
07:02at the very last minute.
07:05Dave is closing in rapidly on Anton and the runaway vehicle.
07:11Just approaching Junction 10.
07:13Junction 10 is ahead of us now.
07:17After a five-mile pursuit through the heavy traffic,
07:20at speeds of over 90mph, the vehicle suddenly pulls over.
07:25Yeah, a vehicle has come to a stop
07:27just before the on-slip of Junction 10.
07:31Far from the far now from Junction 10.
07:36And Anton's backup arrives just in the nick of time.
07:41Right, somewhere here, here he is.
07:55Just when you think you've seen it all on Britain's roads...
07:58What the hell?
08:01..there's always something new to surprise us.
08:07And every day, driver's dashcams are capturing
08:10more of these incredible moments.
08:19On the M6, PC Dave Reid has been called to assist
08:22Inspector Anton Sullivan in a high-speed chase
08:25of a vehicle that failed to stop.
08:29The driver's erratic and dangerous driving
08:32was threatening to cause a serious accident.
08:36Now the officers need to find out why he tried to evade the police.
08:46Just sit in the back of my car.
08:49Just sit in the back of my car.
08:56Is it your car, buddy? Yes, sir. All right.
08:59We just need to check the car, check him,
09:01and then work out why he's behaved the way he has,
09:04because there's something not right with it.
09:06So at the moment, it's a bit of a mystery.
09:09As Dave deals with the driver, Anton searches the car for any clues.
09:15So, the update, there's actually nothing wrong with the car.
09:19His behaviour still bothers me.
09:22Ultimately, failing to stop for the police when you're told to
09:25is an offence.
09:26What's going on, buddy? How come you failed to stop?
09:28Last time I got stopped by a car in Birmingham, I got robbed.
09:31Right. I'm not running away, I'm literally trying to be safe, sir.
09:36So you weren't aware that it was a police car?
09:38I knew it was a police car, but I can put a light on my car
09:41if anyone can do it.
09:42But if you knew it was a police car...
09:44It looked like a fed car, but I didn't know it was a police car.
09:47Oh, OK. Right.
09:50Right, OK.
09:55So, I'm going to do a drug wipe on you, then, all right?
09:58Have you had any drugs at all? No, sir.
10:00Do you do drugs? Yes, sir. What do you do?
10:02I dance with the devil, that is.
10:04What's that? Cannabis.
10:06If you can lean forward, I'm going to rub this on your tongue.
10:09All right?
10:12Right.
10:15When's the last time you had cannabis? Saturday morning.
10:17I was, like, at 6am, and I smoked a fat one. A fat one? Yeah.
10:20Right.
10:21Do you know it can stay in your system for a long time?
10:23Yeah.
10:25Just waiting for it now.
10:26Yeah.
10:27Any sign of alcohol?
10:29No, I've not done the breath test yet.
10:31I can't smell it, but I'll do the breath test.
10:33There's tins in the car.
10:35One continuous blow through that tube.
10:37Not too hard, but enough to blow through.
10:39Keep going, keep going, keep going.
10:41Perfect, that's it.
10:42That's a zero, all right?
10:43It's the perfect stuff.
10:47The air draw was clear, surprisingly.
10:49A few weeks ago, he said he had the same situation with an unmarked car,
10:52which he believes wasn't a police car, tried to stop him.
10:56He's then stopped and was robbed by people that weren't cops.
10:59So, he's then said that he...
11:01That's why he wasn't in the car.
11:03So, he's then said that he...
11:04That's why he wasn't stopping, because he wasn't sure you were a police car.
11:08Well, that's a defence report, isn't it?
11:10Yeah.
11:14There are no clues in the driver's car as to why he failed to stop,
11:18and he passed both drink and drug tests.
11:22We're going to go to Runcorn custody, mate.
11:24I'm going to just run you over the tapes.
11:27Yeah, no worries.
11:34Dave uses the ride back to the station to get to know the driver.
11:38I find it very important to build that rapport with a suspect
11:41because it builds trust with them and they open up a lot more for you.
11:44It's something they do unwittingly, I don't know,
11:46but they just tend to open up a lot more to you
11:48and they can talk you into it.
11:50What do you do work-wise, then?
11:52I work for a supermodel agency.
11:54I'm not on a supermodel paycheck, but I'm on a modelling paycheck.
11:57Funny enough, I did a bit of modelling 20 years ago when I was 20.
12:00Did you?
12:01My friend was trying to do a modelling competition
12:04and when I went with him, I happened to come second place in the competition
12:08and I got a modelling contract.
12:10Oh, yeah? How did that go?
12:12Well, I'm here, aren't I? Cos it didn't go very well.
12:18Back at the police station, the suspect is booked in.
12:21Come on, buddy.
12:24That's what you get. You get characters in this world, don't you?
12:27He's one of them.
12:36PC Chris Swash has only been with Cheshire's road crime team for a year.
12:43And he's still getting his head around the meaning of some police jargon.
12:47Our lunch or dinner breaks,
12:49we refer to them as refs. Don't ask me why.
12:52It's just what it's always been called from when I joined the job.
12:55I'm going to ring someone now and find out, actually.
13:01Hello, Rowan, it's Swash Eat.
13:03Yeah, go on, mate. Got a question for you.
13:05In the police, we refer to getting lunch as going for refs.
13:09What on earth does refs mean?
13:12Refreshments.
13:14Oh!
13:17Refreshments.
13:19Oh, I bloody knew that.
13:21I knew that.
13:23Thanks, mate. I'll see you in a bit.
13:25Later.
13:27So, refs means refreshments, which I didn't know.
13:32I just had a brain fart.
13:39It's 9.30am and Chris is patrolling an Ellesmere port.
13:44His car is fitted with an automatic number plate recognition camera.
13:48It's just alerted him to a car that shouldn't be on the road.
13:52So we've got a Persia that's just gone past us.
13:55It's shown as having no insurance.
13:57I just need to try and find it now.
14:01Uniform 4-1, vehicle comes back as described black in colour.
14:07That's it, yeah.
14:09Good spot.
14:11After locating the vehicle, Chris looks for a safe place to pull over.
14:15You'd be surprised the amount of people that forget to just insure the car
14:19or expect it just to alter anew.
14:22Shall you pull it over for us?
14:28I'll just go and grab it.
14:30Dash cams are helping police in the fight against a disturbing insurance scam.
14:36This driver was found guilty of a crash for cash crime
14:39by deliberately causing a collision,
14:42then making money from a fraudulent insurance claim.
14:46He received a two-year jail sentence.
14:51On the M62, the driver of this Mercedes
14:55was found guilty of intentionally causing this three-vehicle pile-up.
15:03He was sentenced to an 18-month community order
15:06and disqualified for 12 months.
15:10In Coventry, the three occupants of this silver car
15:13attempted to defraud insurers out of £28,000.
15:18The car suddenly breaks,
15:20causing the innocent driver behind to hit them at 50 mph.
15:24However, another driver just two cars behind the incident
15:28also had dash cam,
15:30and the footage helped to jail the suspects for a total of six years.
15:36Back in Ellesmere Port, PC Chris Swash wants to find out
15:39why this car is on the road.
15:41Your car shouldn't be having no insurance.
15:44Have you got your old document online or anything like that,
15:47any emails?
15:49You did have a policy in place that was running
15:51towards the end of this year.
15:53For some reason, on the 16th of January this year, it's ceased.
15:57No, you're not going to get arrested.
15:59However, because you've got no...
16:01If you have got no insurance in place,
16:03I do have to issue you with a traffic offence report,
16:05which is a ticket, and you get six points if I...
16:08However, it might be a clair-a-clair on behalf of the insurers.
16:12If the driver can't resolve the problem at the roadside,
16:15her car will be seized.
16:17So, you've not been paying. Right.
16:19So, at the moment, you've got no insurance, OK?
16:22You're not getting arrested. No, no, no.
16:24So, what I've got to do is I've got to caution you
16:26because you're committing a moving traffic offence, OK?
16:28So, you don't have to say anything, but it may harm your defence.
16:30If you don't mention it in questions,
16:33anything you do say may be given in evidence.
16:35Don't worry. You're not getting arrested.
16:37You're not going to get a criminal record or anything like that.
16:40Are you in a position to pay to get it insured?
16:44No, at the roadside. Yeah, yeah.
16:46Get it insured, even if it's just for a day,
16:48just so you can get yourself a drive home.
16:51However, the driver will be getting a ticket
16:54unless she can prove that the insurance company were at fault.
16:57The driver's sister returns to the car.
17:00By us giving you a ticket, we're protecting you
17:02and we're letting you know, aren't we?
17:04Because if you had a bump, you wouldn't have a lay to stand on.
17:06It'd cost you a fortune.
17:08She's going to take Day's policy out.
17:10I suspect, unfortunately, she just missed a payment
17:12to the void of the policy, which means she has been driving around
17:14with no insurance for pretty much six months.
17:16Should she have a bump, she's not insured.
17:18The person she crashes into, the insurers won't cover them either
17:21because it's an uninsured driver, so it seems really unfair,
17:25but we are actually helping them.
17:2710.05.
17:29So two minutes' time you can drive.
17:31Yeah, that's right. I need two minutes to calm down, anyway.
17:34Right, we'll leave you to it. OK?
17:48People just assume that the insurance policy is renewed
17:52or if they're having a tight financial month
17:55that they might just forget about it and take it out next month.
17:58If you don't make a payment, they will just void your insurance policy.
18:02I suspect they will have written to her.
18:04We've written to her to explain that she might not have insurance,
18:07that she needs to get it done.
18:09So, I mean, she's had it since January.
18:19Many motorway cops are medically trained
18:22and carry specialist equipment
18:24for when they're first at the scene of an accident.
18:27RADIO CHATTER
18:50It's 7.15
18:52and the injured driver is six miles away from PC Dave Reid
18:55in Lowstock, Greylam, Cheshire.
18:57It sounds like a single vehicle after you see,
19:00but it seems like the driver's had a heart attack at the wheel.
19:07Locals, they'll probably be en route, if not they're already there,
19:10but they don't routinely carry any defibs in the cars.
19:17Dave has the life-saving equipment in his car,
19:20but it's going to take him eight minutes to get there
19:23and the driver has gone into a suspected cardiac arrest.
19:26It is quite rare that we get a defib call.
19:30The reason why we carry them in our cars,
19:32because we're advanced drivers with the quick cars,
19:35we can get to places.
19:37Before I was on this unit, I have used the defib once before
19:40and I saved someone's life.
19:43Dave is hitting 140 miles per hour.
19:46We're down this 556 now.
19:49If someone said they're trapped, they're not breathing,
19:52we need a defib, I'd probably get there quicker
19:54than I would do any other situation,
19:56because you're trying to save someone's life.
19:58He arrives without a second to spare.
20:01Aha, here we come.
20:13Dashcam is the electronic eyewitness
20:15that is recording just how dangerous...
20:19..reckless...
20:25..and out of control Britain's driving can get.
20:34With 11 million motorists now using the device...
20:40..thousands of incidents like these are being captured every day.
20:49Back in Lowestock, Greylam,
20:51Dave Reid has received an urgent call
20:53to assist in a road traffic accident.
20:56Aha, here we come.
21:04The driver is in a critical condition
21:06and Dave is carrying a defibrillator that could save his life.
21:10Here it is.
21:12There you are.
21:14The driver came off of the road
21:16and crashed into a lamppost.
21:30Although a heart attack has been ruled out,
21:32the man is experiencing multiple seizures.
21:37I'm still here.
21:41He's talking to you, you don't have a thing.
21:43He's talking to us.
21:45He's talking to us. He told us where he lived,
21:47told us what he did for a job.
21:52The indication could be he's probably had a seizure behind the wheel
21:55and then he's crashed his car.
21:57I've not had to use the defib.
21:59He is conscious and breathing. He has got a pulse.
22:01Ambulance are here just working on him now
22:03just to make sure he's all right and we'll just do what we can.
22:06The man's condition is beginning to deteriorate.
22:09Dave has done all he can.
22:11The driver's life is now in the hands of the paramedics.
22:14The atmosphere at the RTC, there's a feeling of dread and sadness
22:19that someone obviously might die.
22:21You kind of feel helpless at that point
22:23because there's nothing else that you can physically do
22:26to help that person that's almost dying.
22:29Is that adrenaline?
22:31A bit of adrenaline, yeah.
22:33When he got here, he was conscious and breathing
22:35and his car talking relatively normally.
22:37Members of the public said that when he initially got into the lamppost,
22:40his foot was on the floor.
22:42I was still revving when he was on the sponsor.
22:44He was telling me his name.
22:46Injured? No. In any pain? No. Any medical conditions? No.
22:49He had a drink? Say no.
22:51And then out of nowhere, he tensed up and held his chest.
22:54The driver is now stable enough to be moved to a nearby hospital.
22:59At the moment, he's still having epileptic seizures, ongoing.
23:04They're going to take him to Leighton and do further assessments on him.
23:07Fingers crossed he'll be all right.
23:09And I'm going to take some photos, measure up the scene
23:12and just treat it as if it's a serious collision
23:15just in case things go a bit wrong at hospital.
23:18The police need to record evidence of the crash
23:21before the road can be reopened.
23:32It's seven weeks later and Dave is visiting the crash victim's home.
23:37Hi, Tony. You all right, Dave? I am, yeah. You?
23:40Tony, I've just come to see how you are today, then, since the RTC
23:44and obviously making sure you're fit and well.
23:46Yeah, I'm much better now, thanks, yeah. Good.
23:49And obviously on the day...
23:51Cos we really didn't know what had gone on on that day
23:54and you didn't look quite well, but...
23:56the injuries you've sustained from that, luckily,
23:59were just a broken sternum, wasn't it? Yeah. Yeah.
24:02Is that still... How is that now?
24:05It's still a bit sore, but I'm moving a lot better now
24:08than I was to start with.
24:10Just nothing's come back. Still no idea what happened.
24:13No memory at all? No memory whatsoever.
24:15The last thing I remember is being in work,
24:18but it's about two hours before I would have been leaving work
24:21was the last thing that I can remember.
24:23So my last couple of hours in work and driving to where I got to,
24:27I have no memory of.
24:29And the fact that I was somewhere where...
24:31It's not on my way home. Yeah.
24:33It's not even on the way to anywhere where I used to live,
24:36so it's not that kind of a blip. No, no.
24:39It's good to see you're well now. Yeah.
24:42Up and about. It's good to hear.
24:45Bit frightening to begin with. Yeah, it was.
24:48I've got the defib in my car,
24:50that's why I've turned up before ambulances come,
24:53cos, again, we weren't sure whether it was a heart attack.
24:56We pulled you out of the car and, luckily for me,
24:59the paramedics turned up about 30 seconds after I did
25:02and took my equipment away, put theirs on you,
25:05and it was all hands on deck, really, making sure you're OK.
25:08Well, it's actually quite strange to hear, you know,
25:12what went on and how it happened from when you got there.
25:15I mean, have they got to the bottom of what...?
25:17Still don't know.
25:19I'm still waiting to see a neurologist...
25:22Right, OK. ..to see if they can find anything,
25:25but they did scans and what have you,
25:27but there's nothing showing at the moment.
25:29The fact that everything... that everybody did,
25:32what you did on the scene and the paramedics did on the scene,
25:35I mean, it's just... It's incredible and I'm so thankful.
25:50Inspector Anton Sullivan heads up Cheshire's Roads and Crime Unit.
26:00So, we've got a car's just flown past me doing 100mph.
26:04Tell Sierra 0-1.
26:08Yeah, I'm eastbound on the 56 at junction 14.
26:10Could I have a vehicle check, please?
26:12White Monday, doing a ton down there, lane three at the moment.
26:15Over.
26:24Roger, received, thanks.
26:27Right.
26:29That was one of our colleagues from another force.
26:32So, it's an unmarked police vehicle.
26:35He's obviously clocked, I'm pacing him,
26:37and they might have actually heard me doing a check on the radio.
26:40So, I'll let him go on this occasion.
26:51It's 1.15pm, and on the A523,
26:54Anton is stationary, waiting for temporary traffic lights to change.
26:58Road works.
27:03But this driver doesn't want to wait.
27:11He's just completely ignored the red lights and driven through them.
27:19What is it with people today?
27:25Running a red light is one of the most dangerous things a driver can do.
27:30Each year, there are over 13,000 crashes.
27:37All due to UK drivers' impatient and reckless behaviour on the roads.
27:50Do you want to explain that to me?
27:53I do apologise, I've got an appointment to register my mother-in-law's death,
27:57and I'm running late.
27:58I've got to be home for 22 to register this with my wife,
28:02because we've got a funeral on Thursday.
28:04I hold my hands up, whatever you need to do.
28:06I get it's frustrating.
28:07I was stuck in the same traffic as you, trying to get through to Mac.
28:11Who's the appointment with?
28:14All right.
28:17OK.
28:18Is this your vehicle, is it?
28:21The driver has committed a motoring offence
28:23that carries a £100 fine and three points.
28:27Look, I'm really sorry that you're going through what you're going through,
28:30and I do understand it.
28:32It's just that there's no excuse for going through a red light.
28:36Your impatience is what's going to lead to you having a collision,
28:39and I'm sure your family do not need you in A&E
28:42because you're rushing to get to the registry office.
28:46Listen, what I intend to do is just give you a warning.
28:49Given everything that's going on, I don't want to add to your woes today.
28:52Please, get there in one piece.
28:54Don't risk having to head on doing stuff like that,
28:56because next time I will give you a ticket, do you understand?
28:59All right, there you go.
29:03This time, the driver has had a lucky escape.
29:06He's clearly got a lot on his plate.
29:08Fully apologetic, was prepared to take whatever the consequences were.
29:11Given everything else that's going on in his life,
29:14am I really going to help matters by giving him a ticket, points and a fine?
29:19For something he clearly is not in the habit of doing.
29:23I basically used my discretion in that case.
29:25I decided to give him a warning.
29:34Modern motorways have revolutionised the way we travel by road,
29:38but it's vital that drivers obey the automated signs,
29:42especially if people are stranded in the fast lane.
29:49PC Niaz Waddington is patrolling Cheshire's busy motorways.
29:57My petty, the thing which really annoys me,
30:00is where somebody's blatantly committed an offence,
30:03and they know they've committed that offence, but yet they deny it.
30:07Now, that's an offence, blatantly.
30:10Why?
30:12If that got stolen, you would find that vehicle.
30:15That vehicle would be found quite easily.
30:20It's a nice colour, but I don't think it suits certain vehicles.
30:25I'm discriminating against pink micros.
30:32It's 5pm, and Niaz is travelling southbound on the M6 near Knutsford.
30:37It's the beginning of rush hour, when the majority of accidents occur.
30:43PHONE RINGS
30:45It's emergency.
30:47Hiya, just calling regarding an incident that's just happened
30:50on the M6 north by Knutsford services,
30:53involving two cars in the outside lane.
30:56There's two young girls who've hit the car in front.
30:59They're in a pale blue Fiesta,
31:01but they're actually out of the car on the third lane now.
31:12This is the worst problem with live lanes.
31:15There's nowhere for the vehicles to go.
31:21The collision has happened on the opposite northbound carriageway.
31:24A traffic jam is already forming behind it.
31:27There they are.
31:29Mike Oscar 249.
31:31Just past it, going southbound, the vehicle in live lane.
31:34It's in lane four.
31:36Highways are probably going to get there before I do,
31:38whereas I've got to turn at 18.
31:41One of the vehicles involved in the crash
31:43is stationary in the outside lane.
31:46Overhead signs have closed the lane to all drivers.
31:50They've had to put a lane four closure on,
31:52but you'll still get people going down this lane here,
31:55because thinking, oh, look, I like that van there,
31:58I can make progress down here.
32:00Not realising it's closed for a reason.
32:04Got to work our way all the way through all that.
32:07With the outside lane closed,
32:09NIAS should have a clear run to get to the incident.
32:12However, impatient drivers are using the lane to try and jump the queue.
32:16Just make it more difficult for me.
32:26In heavy traffic, some drivers will try anything to get to the incident.
32:31In heavy traffic, some drivers will try anything to get ahead,
32:34whatever the risk.
32:36On the M1, this HGV and van both ignore the closed lane signs,
32:41driving dangerously down the hard shoulder.
32:44For the last two miles, it's been saying get over, but oh, no.
32:48On the M60 in Manchester,
32:50a car has broken down by the central reservation.
32:54Two Highways England officers had closed the lane,
32:57but this vehicle ignores the signs,
33:00promising a lorry as it moves over.
33:04On the M6, the grey Peugeot nearly crashes
33:07as it speeds to overtake the HGV.
33:15Back on the M6, PC NIAS Waddington
33:18is making slow progress towards the incident.
33:21At least people are getting it now.
33:23This just goes to show people's logic and thinking.
33:29So when you see a police car coming past as well, people think,
33:32oh, crap, there's a bump, I'm not going to get home on time.
33:36See, all these people who think they can make some ground
33:39by staying out in this lane.
33:41He's managed to get through three miles of the tailback,
33:44but drivers are still ignoring the signs.
33:47Oi! Why ain't your window down?
33:51It's a no-entry lane! That's a ticket!
33:54Right? Stay in that lane!
33:57Sometimes it's hard not to lose your temper,
34:01but you've got to still remain composed
34:03until you deal with what you're facing with up here.
34:18The UK's highways are not for the faint-hearted,
34:21and when road users don't obey the rules,
34:25the results can be dramatic...
34:30..terrifying...
34:35..and dumbfounding.
34:43Back on the M6, PC Nias Waddington is responding to an urgent incident.
34:48There they are.
34:50Despite the outside lane of the motorway being closed,
34:53some impatient drivers are trying to get ahead.
34:56It's a no-entry lane! That's a ticket!
34:59Eventually, the traffic clears as Nias reaches the incident.
35:09They went up to the back of the other guy?
35:11And his vehicle's all right?
35:14And he didn't want to hang around?
35:20Bloody hell.
35:22Nias finds the driver and passenger of the blue car
35:25that's blocking the lane.
35:27Hiya, you two OK?
35:29You all right? OK.
35:31I was driving and then I looked over to see if there was a car
35:33to go into the next lane.
35:35If I knew it, I'd come back into the car.
35:37It says Section 170, non-injury road traffic collision.
35:40Details exchanged.
35:42She's pulled out.
35:44She's then tried to correct at the front end of her car.
35:47Slightly damaged, but it won't be cut out.
35:50As the car is too damaged to be driven,
35:53it will have to be moved to a nearby garage
35:55by a vehicle recovery team.
35:57Is the recovery truck not far away?
35:59How long are they going to be?
36:01Sorry? How long are they going to be?
36:03Recovery, about 15, 20 minutes.
36:06So the recovery will take you...
36:08Junction 19 to our mates who are working for us.
36:11Junction 19? It's literally a mile. All right.
36:14With arrangements made for the two occupants
36:16to be picked up by a friend,
36:18Niaz is ready to leave the incident.
36:20There's quite a few vehicles going through the red X.
36:23I've got a red one vehicle now.
36:25I'm just going to try and play catch-up
36:27and deal with them appropriately,
36:29which will mean slapping them with a ticket.
36:31Ready?
36:44It just annoys me how people cannot recognise
36:48and obey road signs,
36:50and then they wonder why the police are stopping them.
36:54He tried to move back in from lane four,
36:57having been in the red X lane,
36:59to lane three, then lane two,
37:01thinking, I'm not going to clock his number plate.
37:05Eight minutes later, Niaz catches up with the vehicle.
37:10Eight minutes later, Niaz catches up with the vehicle.
37:23Lane four was closed off because there was an incident.
37:26Traffic was bumper to bumper.
37:28I literally couldn't see anything else.
37:30Right, but the red X and the move over from lane four to three
37:33is a good mile back.
37:35I know what I've done, why I've done it.
37:37All right, no problem.
37:39The driver believes he hasn't done anything wrong,
37:41claiming he couldn't move into lane three.
37:44Niaz isn't having any of it.
37:46You'll be given a traffic offence report
37:48and it'll be points on your licence for it.
37:50But I want to contest that,
37:51because I generally don't believe I'm in the wrong for it.
37:53What you've done is contravened a red X,
37:55which has been there for a good mile.
37:58The driver is adamant he will contest the ticket in court.
38:02He will have 28 days to do so,
38:04and if found guilty, could receive an even harsher sentence.
38:13Oh, annoying when they just argue.
38:16Trying to use some...
38:18Urgh!
38:20He's contravened the red X purely
38:23because he couldn't be bothered waiting in standing,
38:25slow-moving traffic.
38:27And when he saw me, he's gone, oh, poo.
38:29And then he's just ducked into lane two.
38:31So if he was in the right, why didn't he just stay in lane three?
38:35Because he was trying to conceal his number plate and not get stopped,
38:39and he didn't think that I was going to come after him, but I did.
38:44Deep breath, deep breath. I'm good to go. Back in the room.
38:56It's 1.30 and Inspector Anton Sullivan
38:59is on the A523 towards Buxton, following a tractor and trailer.
39:04His load's not really that secure.
39:06He's not got a registration.
39:08The problem is, if he's involved in an incident
39:10or, say, some debris falls off and smashes somebody's windscreen,
39:14we're never going to know who it was.
39:16I'm going to stop him.
39:22There are approximately 24,000 accidents a year
39:26involving insecure loads or debris falling from vehicles.
39:32In this clip, the driver was lucky to escape with his life.
39:36Even hubcaps can be lethal weapons at motorway speeds.
39:42And this driver's unusual load cost them three penalty points
39:46and £195 in fines.
39:56You all right? You all right, fella?
39:59How old are you? 16.
40:02You're 16? OK, you've got a licence to be driving this.
40:06What's the weight in that? 20 tonnes.
40:09So you've got 20 tonnes.
40:11And what do you think's the problem with the load?
40:16A bit what?
40:18Yeah, it's a bit over, so it's overtopping,
40:20and I'm driving along behind you.
40:23Problem number two, what else is wrong with your trailer?
40:28Do you want to come and have a look, see if you can guess?
40:31Have you been stopped by the police before?
40:33You haven't. You've got no points on your licence.
40:38OK. If that rubble had fallen off, and I want to ring up and say,
40:42somebody owes me a new licence,
40:44I'm not going to do it.
40:46I'm not going to do it.
40:48I'm not going to do it.
40:50If I want to ring up and say, somebody owes me a new windscreen,
40:53how would I identify where this trailer comes from?
40:58The reg plate.
41:00In fact, with a special provisional licence,
41:03it is legal for a 16-year-old to drive a tractor on the road.
41:07However, failure to display legal number plates on a vehicle
41:11carries a £100 fine.
41:14Is that your boss, is it?
41:16It's Inspector Sullivan for the Roads Crime Unit,
41:18Cheshire Police.
41:20Two issues, one, he's overloaded and there's no secure netting,
41:23and two, if something had fallen off the back of that and hit me,
41:26I wouldn't be able to tell you where the tractor came from,
41:29because there's no registration on the trailer.
41:31That's why I've stopped him, OK?
41:41Who loaded it?
41:48I'll have a chat with him.
41:50At the end of the day, he might be 16, driving something this big on the road,
41:53which is a surprise to a lot of people,
41:55but I'll just explain to him his responsibilities,
41:57because he seemed a bit unsure, to be fair.
42:05I'll give him a bit of advice on tractor road legislation,
42:08and then hopefully he won't get into trouble again.
42:12He's 16 years of age, and you're driving a vehicle like that,
42:15a year before my son has passed his test to drive a little polo.
42:19So with something like that, you've got a lot of responsibility.
42:22I take it you had to do a bit of a test before you got your licence?
42:25Yeah, yeah.
42:26Did you do a theory test? Yeah.
42:27Like the highway code? Yeah.
42:29So I shouldn't really be telling you anything you don't know
42:31about the registration plate.
42:33And for agricultural vehicles, I'll tell you now,
42:35we have quite a big problem with these.
42:37The problem is, if it was wet and you've got that sliding off the back
42:40and mud all over the road, that's a danger for drivers as well.
42:44So all I'm going to do is give you a warning.
42:47If I'm driving this way and I see you doing that again,
42:50you've had your warning, the next time it's a ticket.
42:53And you know what happens if you get six points on your licence,
42:55you go back to being a provisional driver.
42:57And you want a clean licence when you do get to jump in your car,
43:00because you can't go to Maccy D's in that, can you?
43:02All right.
43:04Having been let off this time,
43:06with a warning and some advice on being a responsible road user,
43:09the young driver gets on his way.
43:12What you've got is somebody who's 16 years old,
43:15driving nearly 30 tonnes of machinery down the road,
43:18yet legally he's allowed to do it, much to our surprise,
43:21but he's still subject to the same legislation as everybody else.
43:25He's only had his licence a short time.
43:27The safest bet was to give him a warning.
43:30I'm sure he won't do it again.
43:33The Motorway Cups are back new next Monday at eight.
43:37Understanding our past and how it's shaped our future,
43:40Channel 5's brand-new original documentary
43:431,000 Years A Slave is brand-new tomorrow at ten.
43:46And tonight, a heatwave isn't the only thing
43:49making eight new junior doctors sweat.
43:51In Casualty 24-7, every second counts.
43:54New next.
44:02.