Driver ‘running late’ nearly caused crash on A12 by last minute lane …

A careless driver nearly caused a crash after pulling out onto the main A12 carriageway because he was “running late” – and then refused to go through a driving improvement course. Undercover police in an unmarked lorry witnessed Zamar Beckford pulling out in front of another driver on the major road which caused him to break sharply to avoid crashing. Beckford, aged 20, of The Crescent, Watford, has been given fines totalling GBP874 and had his licence endorsed with three penalty points after he was found guilty of careless driving when he appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on April 27.

On April 29 last year, the police’s Commercial Vehicle Unit (CVU) was deployed on Operation Tramline, a road safety initiative where they use an unmarked lorry to patrol fast roads in Essex to detect and prevent road offences. During the morning rush hour, officers saw Beckford’s White VW Polo using the designated lane for Hatfield Peveral before pulling into the main A12 carriageway at the last minute, causing another motorist to brake sharply to avoid a collision. The driver told officers he was running late.

He was reported for careless driving and given an option of attending a driver improvement course. Instead, he opted for a hearing at court. Sergeant Jason Dearsley of the Commercial Vehicle Unit said: “Time and again the selfish actions of a few drivers often cause unnecessary congestion or collisions.

“Thankfully, on this occasion other motorists were alert and were able to take evasive action. But they only needed to do that because of Mr Beckford’s poor driving decision. Operation Tramline is a national initiative supported by National Highways.

“It provides police forces across England the use of an unmarked lorry which affords police officers a unique perspective of the roads we all use on a daily basis. Our Roads Policing Specialist Support Units use education to positively engage with drivers, improve driving behaviour and prevent reoffending. “But disappointingly, some drivers are not so receptive to supporting our view of safe roads.

Essex Police work with our partners to commit to Operation Vision Zero to ensure roads in Essex are safe and that we have zero road-related fatalities by 2040: one fatality on our roads is one too many.”

References

1. ^ Court reports and crime news from Essex (www.essexlive.news)