Fatal crash prompts police warning to ‘wholly unacceptable’ short …

Just when police officers think they’ve seen it all, along comes something else to test their patience. On the thin blue line, often there’s no accounting for human behaviour.

Manning the scene of road accidents can be distressing and soul-sapping, interrupted only by the eye-popping stupidity of some motorists. Here’s a typical one from North Wales Police. “Is the road closed?” some drivers ask when confronted with a road closure sign.

Seeing such signs, those with an inflated sense of entitlement often insist, “I need to go that way”. Some drivers just plead. “I only want to go down there” or, “Can’t I just go through carefully?”

Some officers roll their eyes and smile benignly, others take a more testy approach. Matters came to a head this week following a fatal accident in which a biker was killed on an unclassified road^[2] just outside the village of Rhos-y-Gwaliau, near Bala^[3].

Ignoring a “road closed” sign, a motorist begged a constable to be allowed past. Despite being told access was needed for the emergency service access, he debated at length the merits of being allowed through and even offered to drive on the grass to skirt the incident.

North Wales Police^[4] (NWP) has had enough. “At serious and fatal road traffic collisions road closures, diversions and signage are put in place for a reason,” said Sgt Jason Diamond of NWP Roads Policing Unit. “They’re not there for decoration.

“I consider it wholly unacceptable (for drivers) to attend the scene and ask whether “squeezing” past on the grass is feasible and/or become abusive when they are turned around.”

Across North Wales, police and traffic officers have dealt with a recent spate of upsetting road incidents^[5]. The actions of a few have heightened frustrations especially as, in some cases, short-cut motorists have become argumentative, said Sgt Diamond.

As well as wanting to ensure best possible care for casualties, officers must collect detailed evidence process to ensure victim’s families are given an accurate cause of the collision. Time is also needed to recover vehicles and to clean up afterwards to ensure the road is safe.

Ultimately, the aim is reopen routes as quick as possible. “We do not have sufficient police officers and highways officers to stand at the closures giving directions,” said Sgt Diamond.

“When we are faced with road users having failed to comply with the traffic signs, and we spend more time trying to explain why the road is closed, for how long and where the alternative routes are, it detracts us from our main priorities - and causes unnecessary delays in actually reopening the road.”

Should nipping past a 'road closed' sign result in an instant fine? Share your thoughts in the comments below.^[6]

Road closure signs are usually placed in the lane headed toward the scene of a collision - not necessarily across the whole of the road: the other lane is often left open to enable traffic to exit the area.

Ignoring the closure sign, and nipping through the open lane, can lead to lead to prosecution, said Sgt Diamond. “Stating that the cones were not all the way across the road is not a sufficient excuse or a defence to failing to comply with a traffic sign,” he said.

Causing raised eyebrows on social media was caravan owner who ignored road closure signs because he “couldn’t turn around”. NWP described how officers had to help him unhitch his caravan and reverse it so he could drive away from the scene.

He was then was advised that “maybe he shouldn’t be towing a caravan if he could only travel in one direction”. On Facebook^[7], one man sighed: “They walk among us...” Another added: “But only in one direction!”

Joining the online debate was a retired highways inspector at Cyngor Gwynedd Council^[8]. He said many drivers tend to ignore road closed signs when closure points are not manned by officials or police. “Very selfish people really,” he said. “No regard for people involved in road accidents.”

Even ordinary residents encounter similar problems. Following a bad accident in Llanfor, near Bala^[9], late last month, villagers tried stopping cars as the road ahead was closed. “Some of them didn’t give a toss, really,” one said. “They carried on until the fire service^[10] told them to turn round.”

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Sgt Diamond said he understood the frustations of lengthy road closures and he apologised to the “vast majority” of patient road users who adhere to the signs. He suggested some people could help themselves by having old-fashioned paper maps in their cars in case they need to divert. “Whilst we are in the 21st century and technology is abundant, there are still rural areas with limited mobile phone signal,” he said.

In an open plea to all road users – “HGV drivers, car drivers, motorcyclists, pedal cyclists or pedestrians” – he asked everyone to obey road closure signs. He also delivered a warning.

“If the roads are closed, this must not be ignored,” he said. “Whilst you may feel a road closure is inconvenient, being reported for driving offences is probably worse.”

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References

1. ^{^} ‘Self-righteous’ Welsh blasted by some Snowdonia visitors who demand warmer welcome (www.dailypost.co.uk)
2. ^{^} biker was killed on an unclassified road (www.dailypost.co.uk)
3. ^{^} Bala (www.dailypost.co.uk)
4. ^{^} North Wales Police (www.dailypost.co.uk)
5. ^{^} recent spate of upsetting road incidents (www.dailypost.co.uk)
6. ^{^} Should nipping past a 'road closed' sign result in an instant fine? Share your thoughts in the comments below. (www.dailypost.co.uk)
7. ^{^} Facebook (www.dailypost.co.uk)
8. ^{^} Cyngor Gwynedd Council (www.dailypost.co.uk)
9. ^{^} Bala (www.dailypost.co.uk)
10. ^{^} fire service (www.dailypost.co.uk)
11. ^{^} Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter (www.dailypost.co.uk)