Crossing the line: Footage shows police car in near miss with coach carrying children
Shocking footage has shown the moment a marked police car overtakes on a solid white line and cuts up coach full of school children in Aberdeenshire.
An investigation has been launched by the force into the near miss on the A90, between Fraserburgh[1] and Rathen which happened on Thursday, June 22, at around 10am.
Mark and Tasha King were heading Northbound on their motorbikes when the hair-raising incident was captured on Mark’s helmet cam.
The clip begins as they ride around a blind bend, and immediately they are faced with marked Police[2] car that had no emergency lights or siren activated - overtaking a coach despite the manoeuvre being prohibited by a solid white line on that side of the road.
The coach was carrying school children. Pic: SWD Media.
Tasha who is riding in front is forced slam on her brakes and swerve to the left, and the coach driver also must brake hard as the officer has a close shave with her vehicle carrying school children to Aberdeen.
Commenting on the near miss the female coach driver said: “This road is horrible you must always have your wits about you.
“I got quite a fright as I saw the yellow car in my mirror and I wasn’t sure what was going on, then I realised it was a police car but there were no blue flashing lights – the people on the motorcycle must have got a shock to.
“This was actually the third vehicle that overtook my coach in this manner that day, fortunately none of the kids seemed to notice - just a teacher seated at the front.”
The police vehicle can clearly be seen on the opposite side of the road, despite the solid white lines. Pic: SWD Media.
Mark from Fraserburgh shared the footage online and wrote: "A bit of terrible driving from the local police force, wife had to brake and pull into the left to avoid the police car and he has had to cut up the coach to get back into his side."
He later added: "My wife and I were travelling to Fraserburgh. While coming off a blind bend we were met with a police vehicle with one single occupant on the wrong side of the road, as the footage shows, the car is over a solid white line and then has cut up the coach to get back in.
"My wife has had to slam on her brakes and pull into the left-hand side of the road to avoid a collision.
"At the start of the video you can briefly see another police car, we got the impression he was trying to catch up to him as there were no lights or sirens to indicate an emergency."
Reaction to the post came flooding in with one user commenting: “We [motorists] would get done for dangerous driving, I don’t see any blue lights on either.”
A second said: “Even if there are blue lights - still can’t ignore solid white line.”
A third angrily wrote: “It’s joke police think there high and mighty if that was one of us [motorists] we would be serious trouble.”
The Highway Code rule 129 states: "Double white lines where the line nearest you is solid. This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe, and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road.
"You may cross the line, if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less.”
According to Blue Light Aware: "In a solid white line system, an emergency vehicle will probably switch off its siren as it follows you. This is because the road layout doesn’t allow for a safe overtaking opportunity.
"So, keep going – at the speed limit if it’s safe – until you’re clear of the solid white lines. Your clue to pull left and let it pass is when its siren goes back on."
This means this rule applies to all motorists including Police, Ambulance and Fire Service always even if they are on a 999 call out so it is impossible to excuse the actions of this driver.
The 1988 Road Traffic Act says police can penalise drivers for crossing a solid white line. This would be three penalty points and a £100 fine, however if the offence is serious enough to reach court, the fine can be up to £1,000 if officers can prove the manoeuvre was dangerous.
Photos of the road layout show directional arrows indicating that drivers must keep left, it is not safe to cross the solid white line, therefore even if the overtake had started prior this, the offence has still been committed as the manoeuvre should have been completed before this point.
Commenting on the incident, a Police Scotland Spokesperson said: "The footage has been reviewed and will be passed to the relevant department for assessment and appropriate investigation.”
References
- ^ Fraserburgh (www.scotsman.com)
- ^ Police (www.scotsman.com)