Footage shows the moment van driver crashes into National Highways vehicle to evade road closure

Footage released by National Highways shows the moment a driver crashed into a patrol vehicle to evade a temporary road closure on the M6.

It was captured by a National Highways traffic officer vehicle near Keele in April 2020.

The video shows an increasingly irate driver tailgating the patrol vehicle, which was slowly bringing traffic to a standstill so that teams could fix a pothole further along the road.

The van driver can be seen gesticulating to the traffic officer's vehicle to move out of the way so he can drive past.

With traffic slowly coming to a stop, the van driver attempted to swerve past the vehicle before colliding with it and speeding on ahead.

Following an appearance at North Staffordshire Justice Centre, the driver was disqualified from driving for a year, received a 12-month community order, a 19-day rehabilitation activity requirement and must complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

Compensation of £833 and court costs of £425 must also be paid.

National Highways On-Road Service Delivery Manager, Matthew Burns, said: “Fortunately, in this incident, no one was injured but it could have ended very differently.

"Our roads keep the country moving, keep families connected and businesses in business, so our roadworkers are vital to everyone’s well-being, and their well-being is vital to us. “It is important that in doing their job, they can do so in an environment that is safe and that they are able to do so without some of the abusive behaviours they face every day."

Mr Burns added: "We don’t take the decision to close lanes lightly, but when we do, drivers must obey the closure and follow the signs set by the traffic officer vehicle.

“Thankfully, the vast majority of drivers do comply with these signals but those who don’t put themselves and others at risk.”