Roads policing officers reveal the worst excuses they’ve heard while tackling the fatal five

Not wanting to spill a pot of sauce balanced on the steering wheel was one of the worst excuses for bad driving given to West Yorkshire Police.

Officers had stopped the motorist after witnessing them swerving across lanes and performing a poor overtaking manoeuvre, putting the lives of other road users at risk.

Police also discovered a man riding his mobility scooter on a motorway who told them it was “the fastest way home”, as well as someone caught speeding who said it was because “they were tired”.
 

Watch the full excuses video.

These were just some of the excuses given to the county’s Road Policing Unit as they tackle the five main contributory factors that cause serious road traffic collisions. 

Known as the 'Fatal Five', these are:

In West Yorkshire, careless driving alone contributes to more than half of all fatal and serious injuries on the roads.

Roads Policing lead Chief Inspector James Farrar, said: “Roads policing officers regularly have to deal with the aftermath of fatal and serious injury collisions, and so many of these involve at least one of the Fatal Five offences.  

“We urge everybody who gets behind the wheel of a vehicle to be aware of the life-changing consequences their behaviour can have, for themselves and others. Just a single moment of distraction can have catastrophic consequences. 

“As a force we are committed to educating motorists on the dangers but we will not hesitate to take enforcement action where appropriate.”

West Yorkshire Police are part of Vision Zero, the local partnership initiative to reduce all road deaths and serious injuries to zero by 2040. 

Alison Lowe OBE, Chair of the West Yorkshire Vision Zero Partnership and the region’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, said: “The Road Policing Unit are a fantastic set off officers dedicated to ensuring we can all get around safely.

“The fatal five are the most common, and most easily avoided issues on our roads, all stemming from poor choices. 

“Everyone has a role in road safety and by avoiding the fatal five, you can help ensure no-one suffers the devastation of death or serious injury.

“You can also assist officers by submitting footage of dangerous driving through Op Snap and by committing to being a safe driver through signing the Vision Zero Pledge.”

West Yorkshire Police Roads Policing Unit (RPU) officers are responsible for the policing of the road network throughout the county.
 

Watch a video tour of a Roads Policing Unit car.

Within this area there are roads of all types including one of the busiest motorway networks in Europe. This network includes the M62 M1, M621, M606, A1 and A1(M); a total distance of over 213 carriageway miles in some of the most challenging of environments.

Their priorities include: