One For The Road Traffic Cops


One For The Road

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North Yorkshire, the largest county in England and Wales.

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From seaside resorts, like Scarborough,

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to the historic city of York.

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It just offers you everything that policing could offer you.

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You work the cities, you work the rural areas...

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6,000 miles of some of Britain's most scenic and most unforgiving roads.

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We've got three casualties

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out of the vehicle that's there in front of us.

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The traffic cops here deal with among the highest number

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of serious collisions per person than anywhere in the UK.

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Tonight, on the roads around

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one of the UK's drink-driving hot spots...

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One hammered female driver.

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..North Yorkshire's traffic officers catch up with drivers

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exceeding the limits.

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I got in the car after I'd had a drink, and I feel pretty stupid.

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It's all right, I've got you.

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And when a bad smash on one of Yorkshire's busiest roads

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causes life-threatening injuries, identifying if someone's to blame

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becomes a priority.

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I've seen some of the collisions that have been

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caused by people who have had a drink. I don't want any of my family

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to be involved in an accident with some drink driver.

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Welcome to North Yorkshire,

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a vast area stretching the traffic cops to the limit.

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In North Yorkshire, the traffic cops are cracking down on drink drivers.

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Keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going...

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They're even releasing videos online to warn people of the dangers

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of being drunk behind the wheel.

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We run two drink-drive campaigns every year in North Yorkshire,

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where we just, we stop thousands of motorists and breathalyse them.

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North Yorkshire are very,

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very high-profile with their drink-drive campaigns,

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and yet people will still take that risk. I've no idea why.

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Every year, around 250 people die as a result of drink-drive accidents

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on Britain's roads.

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Quite a lot our fatal accidents involve alcohol, unfortunately.

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They have no idea what they're doing

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and, as soon as they hit somebody else, quite often, unfortunately,

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the innocent party is the one that suffers.

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It's a Saturday night in Harrogate, recently classified as having

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more drink drivers than anywhere in the UK.

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10-4.

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TALK OVER RADIO

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Traffic constable Steve Gardner is working the night shift

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and has swung by the station to pick up partner Mark Mullins.

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-Yeah, 10-4.

-It's Cragdale Rise, Knaresborough. There's been a bump

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-and two have made off from it.

-There's been a what?

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It's just after kicking-out time in the pubs

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and the pair are responding to reports of a collision in a

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residential estate in Knaresborough, five miles away.

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Two runners, two are still with it.

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The reportee has said there were four occupants with him

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-when it crashed and two of them have...

-Two have legged it.

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-Yeah, they're gone.

-Uninsured, pissed, no licence.

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-Something like that. Or it's nicked.

-Good one for us, really.

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It's the type of job I quite like.

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'When you run away, knowing that the police have been called,'

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it usually means that you've got something to hide or you're

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scared of the police. There are several reasons why you could

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run away, but none of them are innocent.

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Right, carry on down, Kiwi.

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-Take the next left, mate.

-This one?

-Yep.

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'We're in Knaresborough.'

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It's quite a nice area. In fact, it's quite a good area.

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I live there!

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We're not going to get through here, mate.

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If we can't get through, we're going to have to turn round, then.

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-Will we get through on the kerb?

-Not with all those people stood there.

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Yeah, we'll get a bloody tank through there.

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-Go on, mate.

-Right.

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Keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going. Go on, get going.

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'It's like Driving Miss Daisy with him.'

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Have you seen how he sits in the car, for a start?

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He's practically horizontal!

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It's fun, he's a good driver,

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and he is, but I'd never admit that to him.

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The driver is at the scene with local officers.

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Have you got Amy with you?

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Has she admitted driving?

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The driver's roadside breath test is more than three times

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the legal limit.

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We found, when we got there, the local unit were already there.

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There were a couple of parked vehicles to the nearside

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parked correctly, facing the correct way on the road,

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and the offending vehicle has come along

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and ploughed into both of them, causing an incredible

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amount of damage, particularly to the 4x4.

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She's admitted to us that she's been the driver

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and she's the registered keeper of the vehicle. And she's upset.

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I think it's dawning that she's dropped herself in quite

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a lot of trouble.

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Two men who were in the car have returned,

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having initially fled the scene.

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But Mark's concern is for another passenger who also

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disappeared at the time of the accident.

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This lass who ran off, what's her name?

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-The one that was in the car with me?

-Yeah.

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We have a duty of care to people.

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If there's been four people in the car,

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we need to be satisfied that the four people are found.

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As the officers search for the missing passenger,

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30 miles south of Knaresborough,

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traffic officer John Kendall has also been dispatched on an emergency call.

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We just had a report of a collision at Stillingfleet, where there's

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a suggestion that the driver who's involved could be in drink.

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A member of the public has called 999.

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John needs to get to the scene quickly before the driver flees.

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Apparently, they've taken the keys off the driver to stop him leaving.

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'As I was driving to that incident,

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'I kept getting updates to say the bloke looks drunk,

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'the people have taken his keys, he's crashed into another car.'

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People don't always realise what could happen

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when they get into a car and have a drink.

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By the time John arrives,

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another traffic unit is already in attendance.

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The suspect driver is a pensioner and, whether he is drunk or not,

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John wants to know why he has crashed into a line of parked cars.

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-Hi there. Is it your vehicle?

-Yes.

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-It is, and it's registered to you, is it, sir?

-Yes.

-OK.

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Are you able to come and join me in my car so we can get some

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details from you and just find out a little bit about what's happened?

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'Illness can sometimes make people look like they're drunk,'

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so you try and keep an open mind and see what happens.

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Have you had anything alcoholic to drink today?

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-No.

-Nothing at all?

-No, please...

-All right.

-One...

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One moment, please.

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'I have had lots of people telling me they've not had a drink

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'and also the old classic, "Well, I only had a pint."'

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It's just an unfortunate part of what we do, day in, day out.

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The quickest way to determine if this driver needs medical help,

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or a night in the cells because he's drunk, is through a breath test.

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Because of the fact you've been involved in an accident,

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we suspect there's some issue.

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I'll tell you, I can ask for the specimen breath, it's a request.

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If you refuse or fail to provide it, that's an offence, which can be

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arrested, all right, sir?

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So, I'll hold the device and all you need to do for me

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is form a seal and blow into that until I tell you to stop.

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Just, there it is there.

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'You can see from the way he's trying to hold the breath kit,

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'he hasn't really listened to what I've said to him, he's that drunk.'

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We're getting to the point now where things are really getting serious.

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-Can you see the tube?

-Yep.

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All right, what you need to do is form a seal around the tube

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when I tell you and blow into it, OK?

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So, form a seal around it and blow. Keep going...

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DEVICE BEEPS

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Hang on, no, you need to have a steady blow.

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Dealing with a driver struggling to blow properly isn't uncommon.

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In 2014, North Yorkshire officers arrested more

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than 100 drivers for failing to provide a roadside breath test.

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OK, so, form a seal and blow.

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Get a seal, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going...

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-DEVICE BEEPS

-OK, thank you.

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So, what the machine's doing now is just giving me

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an analysis of whether there is any alcohol in your system

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and dependent upon the result...

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The fact that it's analysing something suggests to me

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that you have had a drink, all right? Because it's checking,

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-and it's going to tell me.

-DEVICE BEEPS

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OK, so what that tells me is 104. Fail.

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So, as it stands at the moment, you're under arrest on suspicion

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of driving whilst over the prescribed limit. You do not have to say anything...

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'You could be shocked by what you saw.

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'You could think, look at him, what the hell is he doing?'

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But you try and deal with things in a sympathetic way.

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Leave your door. It's all right, don't worry about that.

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I've got it.

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Right, come on. You OK?

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The driver's blown three times over the drink-drive limit

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and he's struggling to remain upright.

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It's all right, I've got you. 'He's staggering out of the car.

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'Albeit, yes, he had a problem with his leg,

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'but it was probably one of the worst I've had for a little while.'

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I don't really have a great deal of tolerance for them, I've got to say.

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OK, that's it. Now we've got to the door.

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'Drink drivers are criminals, and we want to catch them.

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'They are the ones who've chosen to go down that route,'

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who decide for whatever reason that they're going to get in a car

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when they've had a drink.

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-I've not killed anyone.

-No, you haven't, no, no, no.

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All you've done is you've hit that car going up the hill.

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But unfortunately, you've had a drink, haven't you? So...

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-Yes.

-We have to go and...

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TALK OVER RADIO

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They'll sort that out, they won't sort the other out.

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That is a relief. As long as I've not killed anyone

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or injured anyone, I have.

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In the UK, roadside breath tests cannot be used as evidence in court.

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To ensure a conviction, John needs to obtain another sample

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back at the station.

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I've got him. I want to get him on that machine.

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Wherever there's any alcohol involved,

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we want to try to progress matters as fast as possible

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so we can get evidence again as quickly as we can.

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Oh, no.

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Back in Knaresborough, officers have arrested a female driver after

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she crashed her car and failed a roadside breath test.

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Can we get recovery, please, for this vehicle?

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Although she has admitted driving, PC Mark Mullins has concerns over

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a missing passenger who left the scene of the accident.

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Hello? Hi, it's Mark Mullins from North Yorkshire Road Policing Group.

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I just want to make sure... You're not in any trouble,

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I just want to make sure you're all right.

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Right, where are you now?

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Where do you live?

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Right, what I'll do, because of what you've told me, I'm going to

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see if we can get an ambulance to come round cos

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if you've got a chest injury, it needs to be checked out, all right?

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If you just stay there, I'll get them to come round, OK?

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Bye.

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There you are. She's at home. She's got some chest pain so...

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Steve Gardner is dealing with two male passengers who also left

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the scene before the police arrived.

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So what are your injuries, fella?

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-I've got a bit of a pain there.

-Did you have your seatbelt on?

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-Yes.

-OK. That's what that pain's from.

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I've got the top of my neck at the back, just a bit of a pain.

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And the reason you ran off was what?

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-I just panicked. Panicked.

-Panicked about what?

-I don't know.

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Just, you know... I didn't want to be involved in one of the...

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-You didn't want to be involved in having a crash?

-I'm sorry.

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-So you've had the crash and THEN you run away.

-I panicked.

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-How much have you had to drink tonight?

-Quite a lot.

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None of the passengers are seriously hurt.

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But the reason why they fled the accident scene is still a mystery.

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'They were just trying to make a story up amongst themselves.'

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We never really got to the bottom of why those lads were in the car.

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One hammered female driver thinks that she can drive home. She can't.

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She'll lose her licence, could lose her job, lose her livelihood.

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All over a few drinks, eh?

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The woman has blown 115, more than three times over the legal limit.

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I mean, she's a professional woman, she's got a really decent job.

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There's lots of people that we see that are regular

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and normal drink drivers. This woman didn't fit any of those criteria.

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It was beyond all belief that she had driven less than a mile,

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not just on the limit but absolutely hammered, to get home.

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Why? No idea.

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I got in the car after I'd had a drink and I drove

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and then had a crash and then... Yes, pretty stupid.

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-INTERVIEWER: First time?

-Yeah, first time.

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I never believe it, you know, people say to us time

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and time again when we stop them for drink-driving,

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it's their first time, "I've never done it, I'm not a drink-driver."

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I think, if people get away with it once,

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they think they'll get away with it again.

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I'd be amazed if it was, but I'll never know. That's the cynic in me.

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You go with these two nice gents and then I'll follow you down.

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We'll be setting off in a couple of minutes. All right?

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'She's out, having a nice night with her friends,

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'not a care in the world, and it all comes crashing around her ears.'

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But without a doubt it'll have a massive

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impact on her in years to come.

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The ambulance have said that they're quite happy that she's not

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had any serious injuries but they'd rather take her in

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to check her over.

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The issues that causes for us is that there is a possibility

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we might have to go down the blood route for the drink-driving

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side of it but, at the end of the day, she has blown 115 so we've

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got three, four, five hours, she's still going to be well over.

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The drunk driver is given a police escort to hospital,

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and she's not the only one left counting the cost of her actions.

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The parked car she hit has sustained a lot of damage.

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And it looks like she hasn't been tootling along either.

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She's driven so fast that she's shifted

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a tonne and a half of 4x4

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eight feet forward.

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It's a lovely car. I'm going to miss it.

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My daughter heard it. She was at the front of the house.

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Just shouted us awake.

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So we came down.

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There wasn't anybody seriously hurt, which is a good thing.

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Tomorrow, I'll be pinching my daughter's car

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and then probably looking for a new car, I think.

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They seem to have taken it quite well, actually but, at the end

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of the day, the woman says, "Is it a write-off? Cos I love my car."

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It's her baby.

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Not that one any more. Straight to the scrapyard.

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Don't forget your teddy bear.

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-No, leave that in there.

-On the mirror.

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Why do people drink and drive? Laziness.

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They think they're not affected by alcohol in any way, they think

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they can have the third or fourth or fifth pint and be fine to drive.

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Bravado.

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-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Goodnight.

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If one of her passengers had not had her seatbelt on or just

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banged her head in the wrong way on one of the frames within the car

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and been seriously injured or killed,

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she would have gone to prison. I think people don't realise it.

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At York police station,

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John Kendall has arrived with the drink-driving pensioner.

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A roadside breath test showed the driver to be three times over

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the drink-drive limit.

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But only the station meter can be used as evidence in court.

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-Have you got a mobile phone with you?

-Somewhere, yeah.

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OK, I'll just ask you to switch it off for us

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while we're in here, if you could.

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Can you turn it off?

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What we'll do is, when we go in there,

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we'll take your property and what have you.

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-Be careful.

-Oh, no.

-Just sit tight.

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I'm...

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(so stupid.)

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It's quite sad to see he's in such a state that he can't even

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switch his phone off. This isn't good.

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-Where is it?

-There's a button at the top.

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I don't know if that's what you do to turn it off.

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Don't ring anybody, will you?

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Let me have a look, see if we can figure out how we do it.

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-Is it one of these?

-No. I...

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Just pop it back in your pocket there for the moment.

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It's switching off so just leave it there a second. It's all right.

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My previous profession...

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before I retired...

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in June...

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..was this.

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'He's designed police cells

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'and then, all of a sudden, he finds himself in one.

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'It's a fall from grace.'

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It's important, catching people who are drink-driving and taking them off the road.

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You know, he is the master of his own destiny. He has done that.

0:17:160:17:20

He is the one who has gone drinking.

0:17:200:17:22

He is the one who has got in a car and he is responsible for it,

0:17:220:17:24

and he needs to take that responsibility.

0:17:240:17:26

Unfortunately, there are still people who think

0:17:260:17:28

they can take a bit of a chance. He has driven on a main road

0:17:280:17:31

where there would have been a catastrophe if he had crashed.

0:17:310:17:34

Come on.

0:17:340:17:35

John needs to get another breath sample before this driver

0:17:350:17:38

starts to sober up.

0:17:380:17:40

Right. Pop yourself down on there for me, if you could. OK.

0:17:400:17:43

Just sit there for a minute. Just relax a moment.

0:17:430:17:48

BEEP

0:17:480:17:49

That means we are ready to go. So hold it there.

0:17:490:17:51

And just make a nice seal around the end of the tube.

0:17:510:17:54

And then get blowing.

0:17:540:17:55

Don't put the whole thing in your mouth.

0:17:550:17:57

That's it, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going...

0:17:570:18:01

Keep going. That's it, you have done the first one. OK, just relax.

0:18:020:18:05

Those readings are 98 and 95. OK, so we take the lower reading.

0:18:070:18:12

So that means that you are over the limit. OK?

0:18:120:18:14

Which we probably thought was going to happen anyway,

0:18:140:18:17

didn't we, to be fair?

0:18:170:18:18

He's going to be facing a lengthy ban and part of the punishment

0:18:180:18:22

will be for him to have some sort of alcohol counselling.

0:18:220:18:25

And it may be that this is his chance.

0:18:250:18:27

You know, if he takes it,

0:18:270:18:28

then this may be an end to all these things

0:18:280:18:31

and make him realise, having come here...

0:18:310:18:34

It's a big fall from grace, I suppose, for a guy like him to come

0:18:340:18:38

into the cells that he has designed.

0:18:380:18:40

We have got to hope that that is what happens and he takes

0:18:400:18:43

that forward and it stops now and he gets some help with his drinking.

0:18:430:18:46

With the second breath test well above the legal limit, the architect

0:18:460:18:50

will be kept in police custody until sober enough to be released.

0:18:500:18:54

Oh, dear.

0:18:570:18:58

No matter what the time of day or night,

0:19:080:19:11

the traffic cops are always on the lookout for drink-drivers.

0:19:110:19:15

Joining TC Steve Gardner on night patrol is TC Chris Coleman.

0:19:150:19:20

Oh, dear, I'm tired.

0:19:240:19:26

But working nights can be tough, on and off shift.

0:19:260:19:30

The missus had a couple of glasses of red tonight with her dinner

0:19:300:19:34

and I was looking, wishing I could have a couple of glasses of red!

0:19:340:19:37

Yeah, yeah.

0:19:370:19:38

At 2am, the pair are heading north on the A1.

0:19:380:19:41

-You all right, Kiwi?

-No, no, mate, I'm good.

0:19:410:19:44

World is your oyster.

0:19:440:19:47

They pass a lay-by and Steve notices a car parked up.

0:19:470:19:52

Aye-aye.

0:19:520:19:53

Bit of passion?

0:19:540:19:56

All fogged up.

0:19:560:19:57

Let's find out what's going on here.

0:20:000:20:02

Do you want to run it through?

0:20:020:20:04

Could I have a vehicle check, please?

0:20:040:20:06

Could be lots of things.

0:20:060:20:08

It could be lovers in a car, it could be druggies in a car...

0:20:080:20:13

Totally out for the count, two people, male and female.

0:20:190:20:23

Not even moved a muscle.

0:20:240:20:26

TC COLEMAN TALKS ON THE RADIO

0:20:280:20:29

20s?

0:20:290:20:30

For a start, let's see if they are alive.

0:20:300:20:33

I'm guessing they are alive with the amount of fogging up inside the car.

0:20:330:20:36

And secondly, just to find out why they are parked up here.

0:20:360:20:39

It is quite common and we come across single occupants having had

0:20:390:20:43

a fallout with the other half, they just drive away from the situation.

0:20:430:20:47

But to see two people sleeping in a car is unusual.

0:20:470:20:51

Hello, mate. Sorry to wake you up. Is everything all right?

0:20:510:20:54

-Yeah, yeah.

-How come you are sleeping here, mate?

0:20:540:20:56

-I've been driving too long, mate.

-You've been driving too long?

-Yeah.

0:20:560:21:00

-Where have you come from today?

-Newcastle.

0:21:000:21:02

The second that that window was wound down, there was

0:21:020:21:04

a good strong smell of alcohol coming from within the vehicle.

0:21:040:21:08

'So, at this point, I'm thinking that this guy has had a few drinks

0:21:080:21:11

'before he has driven there.'

0:21:110:21:12

-What time did you stop driving? How long have you been here?

-Ages, mate.

0:21:120:21:16

-How long is ages?

-Um...

0:21:160:21:19

What time do you think it is now?

0:21:190:21:22

-Two o'clock in the morning.

-You have been here since what time?

0:21:220:21:25

-Six o'clock.

-OK.

0:21:250:21:26

I can smell a lot of alcohol in the vehicle.

0:21:260:21:29

-Have you been drinking tonight?

-No, my girlfriend has.

-OK.

0:21:290:21:32

We are going to give you a breath test if that's OK with you?

0:21:320:21:35

-Fine, yeah.

-So you have not been drinking at all?

0:21:350:21:37

I had a beer and a bit of all that.

0:21:370:21:39

-How long ago?

-Um...

0:21:390:21:43

-About seven o'clock.

-OK.

0:21:450:21:48

He has admitted to driving that vehicle to that location.

0:21:480:21:52

I doubt the timings that he has given us

0:21:520:21:54

so it is now my suspicion that he has been drink-driving.

0:21:540:21:59

-But you have been here since six o'clock?

-Yeah.

0:21:590:22:02

-So you have had a beer since you have been parked here?

-Yeah.

-OK.

0:22:020:22:06

-What sort of beer did you have?

-A bit of vodka, I think it was.

0:22:060:22:11

-Vodka?

-Yes.

-You said beer.

0:22:110:22:13

-Yeah. Only a bit, like, with my girlfriend.

-OK.

0:22:130:22:16

-Where is the beer can? Or beer bottle?

-It's in this one here.

-OK.

0:22:160:22:19

-It's in where?

-It's in that.

-That's a Coke bottle.

0:22:210:22:24

INDISTINCT

0:22:240:22:26

Yeah, but you said beer. Don't wake her up,

0:22:260:22:28

you don't have to wake her up.

0:22:280:22:30

It's all right. She's all right. You said you have had a beer.

0:22:300:22:33

Yeah, I have only had a little bit. My girlfriend has been drinking.

0:22:330:22:36

-Well, where is the beer bottle?

-The vodka is in that.

0:22:360:22:40

-There is a bit of vodka in that.

-No, you said you had a beer.

0:22:400:22:42

Yeah, a swig of that, only a little bit.

0:22:420:22:44

I'm starting to think I'm talking a different language to this chap.

0:22:440:22:47

You know, he says he has a beer, he says, "That's what I meant, vodka."

0:22:470:22:51

And that's what it means, having a beer. And that's like...

0:22:510:22:54

Pfft, you know.

0:22:540:22:55

Maybe where he comes from, but I've never heard that term before,

0:22:550:22:58

having a beer when it's spirits in a Coke bottle.

0:22:580:23:00

-Are you going to pass a breath test?

-Yeah, yeah. Of course I will.

-Good stuff.

0:23:000:23:04

MACHINE BEEPS

0:23:040:23:07

All right, Gary. Nice steady blow until I say stop.

0:23:080:23:11

Keep going, keep going, keep going. That's it. Thank you.

0:23:110:23:14

-Anything over 35, Gary, is a fail.

-Yeah.

0:23:140:23:18

-You have blown 35, mate.

-Yeah.

-So you are bang on the limit.

0:23:180:23:21

-I have only had a couple of swigs, that's it.

-Have you?

0:23:230:23:26

-A couple of swigs, that is more than that, mate.

-I'm a boxer. I don't drink.

-GIRL: It's freezing.

0:23:260:23:30

-I have a drink about once every

-BLEEP.

0:23:300:23:32

-Have you got your driving licence on you, Gary?

-Yeah, I have.

0:23:320:23:35

What I'm going to do is give you a producer for your insurance.

0:23:350:23:41

A producer means the driver will need to bring proof

0:23:410:23:45

of his insurance documents to a station in the next seven days.

0:23:450:23:50

Sit in the back of there while my colleague does you a producer.

0:23:500:23:54

If I followed a car and I pulled the driver over in a very standard

0:23:560:24:00

clear-cut drink-driving type case,

0:24:000:24:03

and they blew 35, I would be frustrated.

0:24:030:24:05

But when you have a case like this

0:24:050:24:07

when there is a chap asleep in a car and he was comatose, he was well out

0:24:070:24:11

of it, I'm always going to struggle with the drink-drive situation.

0:24:110:24:15

-Right, mate. You are free to go.

-Yeah? Cheers.

-Thanks very much.

0:24:150:24:19

'We couldn't prove the driving angle,'

0:24:190:24:21

we couldn't prove the post-drinking angle.

0:24:210:24:26

Both Chris and I knew that we were struggling with any offences here.

0:24:260:24:31

-His keys were out of the

-BLEEP

-ignition. And he was asleep.

0:24:310:24:34

I thought the key was in it. Were the keys not...?

0:24:340:24:36

Keys were not in the ignition. Double-checked that.

0:24:360:24:39

You couldn't prove that he was about to drive.

0:24:390:24:41

I haven't had a beer since about seven o'clock.

0:24:410:24:44

We have just come back from Newcastle, so...

0:24:440:24:46

I was pulling over...

0:24:460:24:48

Cos it's a bit of a long drive, isn't it?

0:24:480:24:50

It's like three hours long.

0:24:500:24:51

So I just pulled over and me mate had a little drink in the car,

0:24:510:24:54

and, the next thing I know, the knocking at the window.

0:24:540:24:57

For a breathalyser.

0:24:570:24:59

This driver might have been just on the right side of the alcohol reading,

0:24:590:25:03

but every year, across the UK,

0:25:030:25:06

over 70,000 people are caught above the limit.

0:25:060:25:09

Targeting drivers who pose a risk to themselves and others

0:25:120:25:15

is a 24-hour operation in North Yorkshire.

0:25:150:25:19

But when the reports run dry,

0:25:190:25:21

sometimes it can be a chance to catch up on paperwork.

0:25:210:25:24

At the police station in Scarborough, Traffic Constable Dan Hughes

0:25:260:25:30

and Sergeant Pete Wood are updating their caseload.

0:25:300:25:33

But for Dan, the office is the last place he wants to be.

0:25:330:25:38

I have always had an interest in cars, and fast cars and driving.

0:25:380:25:42

And that aspect of the role is really what drew me

0:25:420:25:45

to being a police officer.

0:25:450:25:47

I don't really have a natural curiosity. I'm not nosy.

0:25:490:25:51

Not like my missus. She is.

0:25:510:25:53

That's why she's a detective!

0:25:530:25:55

I just wanted to drive fast cars.

0:25:550:25:58

Dan could be in luck.

0:25:580:26:00

An urgent call for assistance comes through from a member of the public

0:26:000:26:04

who has reported the theft of a tractor in a village 20 miles away.

0:26:040:26:08

Rural theft costs an estimated £1.5 million

0:26:120:26:16

across North Yorkshire in 2014.

0:26:160:26:18

And high-value tractor theft is on the increase throughout the UK.

0:26:200:26:24

-ON RADIO:

-He has now turned right... The A170 again.

0:26:240:26:30

But this time, the theft appears to be less about making a fast buck.

0:26:300:26:35

The driver has taken it for a joyride without the owner's permission.

0:26:350:26:38

We are just heading over to the Wombleton area.

0:26:400:26:42

There is a report that a male that has had some sort of issues

0:26:420:26:47

at home, he has left the address in a tractor

0:26:470:26:50

with a trailer on the back.

0:26:500:26:52

We do suffer thefts of farm machinery, tractors included.

0:26:530:26:57

But we don't often get reports of somebody taking

0:26:570:26:59

one for a joyride in the middle of the afternoon.

0:26:590:27:03

But a three-tonne tractor could cause some serious damage

0:27:030:27:07

and stopping it quickly isn't going to be easy.

0:27:070:27:10

He's stopped, he's looked at me,

0:27:140:27:17

set off again, stopped, set off again.

0:27:170:27:20

We have all sorts of tactical options

0:27:210:27:23

in relation to pursuing vehicles,

0:27:230:27:25

stolen vehicles included, but that doesn't really cover tractors.

0:27:250:27:28

We have stingers, and that would be our first port of call, really.

0:27:280:27:33

We can't really chase something like that round all day long.

0:27:330:27:37

With Dan 15 minutes away,

0:27:370:27:39

news comes through that the driver has abandoned the tractor

0:27:390:27:44

outside his mother's house, and run off.

0:27:440:27:47

He's mentally unstable.

0:27:470:27:49

The concern here is, the man the cops are chasing

0:27:490:27:52

has mental health issues

0:27:520:27:53

and he's still at large, and potentially dangerous.

0:27:530:27:56

This is quite a volatile gentleman, by all accounts,

0:27:580:28:01

so we're just waiting for some support to get there.

0:28:010:28:04

Obviously, myself and Peter en route, we've both got Tasers.

0:28:040:28:08

We're going to lend some assistance when we get on the scene.

0:28:080:28:12

XM644.

0:28:120:28:14

Given the sensitivities involved, the police rendezvous in the village

0:28:340:28:38

to talk with a local officer, Andy Pomfret, who knows the man well.

0:28:380:28:42

Obviously, what we've got to consider here is that we are dealing

0:29:020:29:05

with somebody that has got some mental health issues,

0:29:050:29:08

and he's carried that all his life

0:29:080:29:10

since sustaining a serious injury at a young age,

0:29:100:29:13

and he might just need some help, so we can't go in all guns blazing.

0:29:130:29:16

We've got to, you know, go in on a sort of low approach

0:29:160:29:19

but be mindful that we might need to up our game, if need be.

0:29:190:29:22

We're not dealing with Mr Average Criminal that is just

0:29:340:29:37

hellbent on getting away from us with his new stolen booty.

0:29:370:29:40

We're dealing with somebody that's potentially not making

0:29:400:29:44

completely rational decisions.

0:29:440:29:46

The man's irrational behaviour isn't the cops' only concern.

0:29:460:29:50

-Also, last night, he has supposedly been drinking a bit.

-Right.

0:29:500:29:54

Not only does this chap have some mental health issues,

0:29:540:29:57

it sounds like he's been drinking, as well.

0:29:570:30:00

So, alcohol could well be a factor in how he reacts with us

0:30:000:30:04

and how he's dealt with.

0:30:040:30:06

The main problem is, obviously,

0:30:060:30:07

to mitigate any further problems that we might have, to

0:30:070:30:10

people in the vicinity, other road users and people in the village.

0:30:100:30:13

So, our idea is to contain either the person and the vehicle,

0:30:130:30:17

but unfortunately, in a fast-moving situation like this, we've got

0:30:170:30:21

to take things as we find them.

0:30:210:30:22

For officers like Dan and Pete, prosecuting drunk

0:30:220:30:26

or illegal driving is key to making the North Yorkshire roads safer.

0:30:260:30:32

But, with just 60 traffic officers covering 3,200 square miles,

0:30:340:30:39

they commonly work single-crewed, often in testing situations.

0:30:390:30:45

Helping them to respond to the many reports of accidents

0:30:470:30:50

and incidents involving illegal or drunk drivers

0:30:500:30:54

is a busy team of men and women at the force control centre in York.

0:30:540:30:58

Operators like Dave Hopkinson.

0:31:010:31:02

I'll be dealing with, say, maybe 12 officers at any one time,

0:31:020:31:06

with seven or eight different incidents,

0:31:060:31:08

and they're all needing information passing back.

0:31:080:31:10

You may have one officer that's 30 miles away on his own,

0:31:100:31:13

that's gone 30 miles out of his way on his own,

0:31:130:31:16

sending a single officer to a potentially serious incident,

0:31:160:31:19

and him going to that, knowing that his nearest backup

0:31:190:31:22

might be 50 minutes away.

0:31:220:31:23

So that's just one downside of policing such a large area.

0:31:230:31:27

Today, the team is dealing with a major road traffic collision, or RTC.

0:31:290:31:33

We've got reports of a road traffic accident on the old A1, the A63.

0:31:330:31:39

John shouted across, it's a serious RTC,

0:31:390:31:43

a heavy goods vehicle versus a car. Fire and ambulance are en route.

0:31:430:31:47

Soon as I knew that, the first thing I'm thinking is, where's

0:31:470:31:50

our nearest available units so that I can get them travelling to it?

0:31:500:31:53

Somewhere on the old stretch of the A1 along here,

0:31:530:31:56

we're not certain exactly where. I've got units just coming up now.

0:31:560:31:59

The nature of being somebody trapped, that will

0:31:590:32:02

always make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up more,

0:32:020:32:05

because the chances are it's going to be very, very serious.

0:32:050:32:08

Top end of Fairburn,

0:32:080:32:09

the top roundabout before the stretch of the A1, closed

0:32:090:32:13

the road at...

0:32:130:32:14

-Highways are aware, aren't they?

-Yeah.

0:32:140:32:17

Fire brigade there, ambulance is there, media aware.

0:32:170:32:23

You think, right, this one's going to keep us busy for a bit

0:32:230:32:26

and then there's a little voice going,

0:32:260:32:27

"somebody could be seriously hurt in this",

0:32:270:32:30

which puts things in perspective.

0:32:300:32:33

It could be life-threatening, but at this stage,

0:32:330:32:35

we honestly don't know

0:32:350:32:36

until we manage to get the casualty out of the vehicle,

0:32:360:32:39

which they are working on now,

0:32:390:32:40

so I'm just awaiting further updates.

0:32:400:32:43

The HGV driver has been breathalysed at the scene.

0:32:430:32:46

News reaches the ops team.

0:32:460:32:49

Driver of the HGV has just blown 104.

0:32:520:32:56

That's scandalous.

0:32:560:32:57

A professional driver, practically three times over the limit.

0:32:570:33:01

It shocked all of us, to be honest.

0:33:010:33:03

This is the first one I've come across, to be honest. Somebody

0:33:030:33:06

with 38 tonnes' worth of vehicle, obviously nearly three times over the limit.

0:33:060:33:10

Unfortunately it's the innocent party or possible innocent party

0:33:100:33:14

in a car that's ended up the serious casualty.

0:33:140:33:16

Trapped in the wreckage is a 19-year-old driver

0:33:160:33:19

and Dave has concerns he may not survive.

0:33:190:33:22

Back on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors

0:33:280:33:31

in Wombleton, TC Dan Hughes and Sergeant Pete Wood are closing

0:33:310:33:34

in on the man who took his mother's tractor for a joyride.

0:33:340:33:38

The suspect has abandoned the tractor outside his home

0:33:390:33:43

but is still at large and there are concerns for his wellbeing.

0:33:430:33:46

We have come round now, used our vehicles to block this tractor in,

0:33:460:33:50

which as you can see it's quite a reasonably-sized tractor

0:33:500:33:53

and it's towing that big heavy roller.

0:33:530:33:56

That could potentially do an awful lot of damage to other

0:33:560:33:59

property or people.

0:33:590:34:00

Finding the man now is a priority.

0:34:020:34:05

The cops are greeted by his concerned mum.

0:34:050:34:09

At the moment we want to speak to him and we want to see how he is.

0:34:150:34:18

Yes, all right then.

0:34:180:34:19

-Don't let them out. These are his dogs.

-All right.

0:34:190:34:24

Get hold of one of them, you big lads. They won't hurt you.

0:34:240:34:28

-They won't hurt, will they?

-No.

-They are just boisterous, aren't they?

0:34:280:34:31

This has a thing on because he will bite, that dog.

0:34:310:34:35

-Have we got anywhere we can tie him up outside for now?

-No, I'll take him in.

0:34:350:34:38

-Can we check that he's not in the house, please?

-I will. Get in. Get in.

0:34:380:34:41

While Pete stays behind with the man's mother,

0:34:410:34:45

Dan and Andy widen the search.

0:34:450:34:48

We'll just... That's the chap's mother says that he's

0:34:500:34:52

not in the property, although in fairness she's only just

0:34:520:34:55

turned up, so we're just going to make a search of some of these

0:34:550:34:59

outbuildings and see if there's any sign of him.

0:34:590:35:01

Pete tries to get to the bottom of why the tractor was taken.

0:35:010:35:05

-Has there been anything that has caused the problems today?

-Well, he just said to me

0:35:050:35:10

when he went, "I don't care any bloody more," he said, "I'm sick of it."

0:35:100:35:13

-I've looked after that lad for five years now.

-Right.

0:35:130:35:16

I got his seizures down. I got the pregabalin off that was making him smash everything.

0:35:160:35:22

As a fuller picture starts to emerge of the man's vulnerable state,

0:35:220:35:26

finding him becomes a matter of urgency.

0:35:260:35:29

The search is stepped up with a police dog

0:35:310:35:34

and it's not long before he's spotted.

0:35:340:35:36

Which way are we?

0:35:370:35:39

Now one of my colleagues has seen the chap across the fields

0:35:410:35:45

at the rear of the premises, so we're just trying to get him contained now.

0:35:450:35:48

'So we'll stay with him.'

0:35:480:35:50

'We've apprehended him in the field.'

0:35:500:35:53

He's arrested by Andy, the local officer, who knows him well.

0:35:530:35:56

I am arresting you on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle...

0:35:560:35:59

-Yes, I know.

-Of taking a vehicle without lawful consent,

0:35:590:36:02

-do you understand that?

-Yeah. Can I light my fag?

0:36:020:36:05

He's calm and compliant with us.

0:36:050:36:07

Can you dispose of that in a better way than I can?

0:36:070:36:10

Upon arresting the man, the cops discover him drinking a can of beer.

0:36:100:36:15

-I've arrested Ray, right?

-You've arrested him?!

0:36:150:36:19

I need his medication for tonight,

0:36:190:36:20

can I have his medications for tonight, please?

0:36:200:36:23

-You've arrested him?

-Yes, I have.

0:36:230:36:24

Well, then I want to speak to the Chief of Police,

0:36:240:36:26

-and I want the press here.

-That's no problem at all.

0:36:260:36:28

Well, where is he? I want to see him.

0:36:280:36:30

And I want you to go up there...

0:36:300:36:32

-No, you're not demanding me to do things.

-Well, whoever.

0:36:320:36:34

Shirley, Shirley, what we need to do,

0:36:340:36:36

we need to get the matter sorted out, all right, try and calm down.

0:36:360:36:40

I can't calm down! Caused all this...

0:36:400:36:42

'She's obviously had to put up with quite a lot over the years.'

0:36:420:36:44

And we're just trying to reassure her there that we'll

0:36:440:36:47

do our utmost to look after him.

0:36:470:36:48

There's obviously a long-standing history in relation to this family

0:36:480:36:52

and their dealings with the police, and some mental health issues.

0:36:520:36:56

Unfortunately, our hands are tied,

0:36:560:36:58

he's driven off in this tractor without having a licence for it.

0:36:580:37:02

Once we got him into custody,

0:37:020:37:03

we revealed he was actually disqualified from driving.

0:37:030:37:06

Had no insurance for the vehicle,

0:37:060:37:08

he'd taken a vehicle he shouldn't have had.

0:37:080:37:09

No matter what issues he has mentally, that doesn't

0:37:090:37:12

preclude the fact that he shouldn't be out driving on the road.

0:37:120:37:16

We could have been chasing him round the village,

0:37:160:37:19

he could have been crashing into cars, causing damage,

0:37:190:37:22

hurting people,

0:37:220:37:23

and we could have had to maybe take some more forceful action.

0:37:230:37:27

Back at the control centre in York,

0:37:310:37:33

Dave and colleague Gemma are dealing

0:37:330:37:35

with a serious collision between an HGV and a car

0:37:350:37:38

on the A1 when news comes through on the trapped car driver.

0:37:380:37:42

We received an update to say that the person who's driving the vehicle

0:37:440:37:49

that's been in the collision has actually, is actually deceased now.

0:37:490:37:54

It's very heartbreaking when you find out that somebody's

0:37:570:38:00

lost their life through no fault of their own,

0:38:000:38:03

an innocent party has died.

0:38:030:38:04

We're fortunate that we're separated from it,

0:38:040:38:07

we're in a control room, so we're not there seeing the incidents

0:38:070:38:10

that the guys on the ground and the girls on the ground can see.

0:38:100:38:13

It can be harrowing.

0:38:130:38:15

For the traffic officers on the ground,

0:38:150:38:18

dealing with fatals is part of the job, but never easy.

0:38:180:38:22

I can still remember the very first fatal road collision I went to,

0:38:220:38:26

when I'd only been in the job for two days, and I thought,

0:38:260:38:29

"What have I let myself in for here?" It was horrific.

0:38:290:38:33

And all the other guys that were there, the other officers,

0:38:330:38:36

seemed to be just getting on with things,

0:38:360:38:38

and you think to yourself, "Is there something wrong with me?

0:38:380:38:41

"Are they OK? What is it?"

0:38:410:38:43

We'll need an officer to attend

0:38:430:38:44

the registered keeper's home address in West Yorkshire.

0:38:440:38:47

Make the knock on the door and, eh,

0:38:470:38:51

speak to whoever's at the home address.

0:38:510:38:53

I'd be lying if I said I haven't come away from some families

0:38:550:38:58

and just sat in the car and shed a tear,

0:38:580:39:01

after I've met them.

0:39:010:39:02

260 people died across Britain as a result of drink-driving in 2013.

0:39:040:39:10

15% of all road deaths.

0:39:100:39:13

The HGV driver was found to be three times over the legal limit.

0:39:150:39:18

If found guilty of death by dangerous driving,

0:39:180:39:21

he'll face a lengthy prison sentence.

0:39:210:39:24

SIREN WAILS

0:39:280:39:30

Ten miles from the control centre,

0:39:300:39:32

one of North Yorkshire's busiest highways, the A64, near Tadcaster.

0:39:320:39:37

It's five o'clock.

0:39:390:39:40

TC John Kendall is an hour into his shift when he gets

0:39:400:39:44

an urgent shout to attend a serious road traffic collision.

0:39:440:39:48

Yeah, 10-4, I'm en route. Till we know what's involved.

0:39:480:39:51

The A64 links Leeds and York with the east coast, and the accident

0:39:540:39:58

John's responding to is

0:39:580:40:00

on a congested part of a single carriageway.

0:40:000:40:03

It's a bit of an accident blackspot, unfortunately, this road up here.

0:40:060:40:10

So we'll get ourselves there and see what we see.

0:40:100:40:14

If it's serious,

0:40:140:40:16

then this busy link road could be shut down for hours to come.

0:40:160:40:20

My first thoughts were, "I wonder what it will be",

0:40:220:40:25

because I've been to quite a few collisions there.

0:40:250:40:27

Some of them can be relatively minor,

0:40:270:40:29

where people walk away without any serious injury,

0:40:290:40:32

others can be a bit more serious.

0:40:320:40:34

Fairly quickly it becomes apparent that it's quite a serious accident.

0:40:340:40:38

Ambulance crews are already attending.

0:40:390:40:42

As first traffic officer on the scene,

0:40:420:40:44

John has to quickly establish control.

0:40:440:40:46

Who's the driver of this car?

0:40:480:40:50

-The driver's over there, he's OK.

-We weren't in any other cars.

0:40:500:40:53

All right, you're just one of them.

0:40:530:40:55

-Did you see what happened at all?

-Yeah, yeah.

0:40:550:40:57

-Can you just bear with me and I'll try and get some...?

-No problem.

0:40:570:41:00

Sometimes it's a bit like the duck on the top of the river

0:41:000:41:03

that looks like it's going on nice and serenely

0:41:030:41:05

but, underneath, it's paddling like crazy.

0:41:050:41:07

'You've got to remain calm,

0:41:070:41:09

'you've got to use your experience you've gathered over the years.'

0:41:090:41:13

I've got a trapped driver there. Got a guy here with chest injuries.

0:41:130:41:16

'The driver was trapped in the driver's seat

0:41:160:41:19

'and the guy in the front passenger seat was also being treated.'

0:41:190:41:22

So, I was getting to be a bit anxious at this point

0:41:220:41:25

and thinking, right, this could be serious.

0:41:250:41:27

If possible, could you get me another unit to assist with traffic?

0:41:280:41:32

Because we're right in the middle of the junction.

0:41:320:41:35

With the road blocked, John begins to take witness statements.

0:41:350:41:39

The taxi driver pulled out in...

0:41:390:41:42

-From here?

-Yeah.

-Right.

0:41:420:41:45

It didn't stand a chance of stopping.

0:41:450:41:48

This taxi's unfortunately pulled out directly into the path

0:41:480:41:50

-of this car here.

-Yeah.

0:41:500:41:52

Fortunately, the driver of the van that collided with the taxi

0:41:520:41:55

is uninjured.

0:41:550:41:57

Right.

0:41:590:42:00

Working out why the taxi pulled out will be the next task.

0:42:050:42:09

But, as the sole traffic officer on the scene, John's up against it.

0:42:090:42:13

As well as investigating the crash, he has to make the scene safe,

0:42:140:42:17

and monitor any injuries.

0:42:170:42:19

I know it's early days. How are we doing with all the casualties?

0:42:190:42:22

Anybody that's serious or life-threatening?

0:42:220:42:24

Well, the driver and the back-seat passenger

0:42:240:42:26

-aren't looking particularly great.

-Right.

0:42:260:42:29

-Are they bad-bad?

-Could, potentially, yeah.

0:42:290:42:34

-RADIO BEEPS

-Yeah. I've just been speaking

0:42:340:42:36

with the ambulance reference the state of the casualties.

0:42:360:42:39

It is slightly early days yet. But, until we've got two of them out,

0:42:390:42:43

they're not able to tell me the level of the injuries.

0:42:430:42:46

So, I'm going to have to close the road for now.

0:42:460:42:49

As the only traffic cover in the York and Selby area,

0:42:500:42:53

John's got a bit of a wait for backup.

0:42:530:42:56

It always seems like a long time, when you're asking for help,

0:42:560:42:59

and you're at that scene, and you want other people to get to you.

0:42:590:43:02

-RADIO:

-Alfa Romeo 1-0-5.

0:43:020:43:04

Hello, mate.

0:43:040:43:06

15 minutes after his arrival at the scene,

0:43:060:43:09

backup appears, along with fire crews to attend the trapped driver.

0:43:090:43:13

One of the passengers, the father of the taxi driver, is removed.

0:43:190:43:24

But the driver will need to be cut from the car.

0:43:240:43:27

We're a bit concerned about the driver of the car,

0:43:290:43:32

in terms of the fact he was trapped in the vehicle.

0:43:320:43:35

What I'm doing is waiting until colleagues have got

0:43:350:43:38

these people out, and then we'll be able to get a better update

0:43:380:43:40

on what's actually happened, and how they stand.

0:43:400:43:43

Then there's a crucial update from the paramedics.

0:43:440:43:46

Do you consider it life-threatening at the moment, potentially?

0:43:460:43:49

At this moment, it's potentially life-threatening.

0:43:490:43:52

The driver, I'm just going to check out.

0:43:520:43:53

-The guy on the back, he is not too bad.

-Seems to be all right.

0:43:530:43:56

I just briefly spoke to him.

0:43:560:43:57

All I've got, I think it's father and son.

0:43:570:44:00

So, this is the moment, I think, when I've got the update

0:44:000:44:03

that makes me play my final card, if you like, which is,

0:44:030:44:06

right, this is a potential fatal accident.

0:44:060:44:09

So, I suppose, if you like, it ups the ante on the investigation,

0:44:090:44:13

and the levels of our concern.

0:44:130:44:15

So, I'm calling for extra help now

0:44:150:44:17

to make other people aware of what we've got.

0:44:170:44:20

If there are any fatalities,

0:44:210:44:23

John needs to treat the accident site as a crime scene,

0:44:230:44:26

and must now lock the area down

0:44:260:44:28

to preserve any evidence until crash investigators arrive.

0:44:280:44:32

Once they're out of the vehicle, I'll be able to make a better call,

0:44:330:44:36

a better judgment, and I'll let you know soon as I can.

0:44:360:44:38

But that's easier said than done

0:44:380:44:40

when you're the only traffic officer attending.

0:44:400:44:43

A number of problems, logistical problems at the scene

0:44:430:44:45

because we've got a lot of people,

0:44:450:44:48

three casualties of the vehicle that's there in front of us.

0:44:480:44:52

We've got both carriageways of the A64 closed at the moment.

0:44:520:44:56

So, logistically, we've got a massive amount of traffic.

0:44:560:44:59

But, my biggest concern is making sure we preserve

0:44:590:45:03

as best we can this scene here for our investigation.

0:45:030:45:07

As well as dealing with more than 2,500 casualties every year,

0:45:090:45:15

North Yorkshire's traffic officers also monitor the traffic flow

0:45:150:45:18

on its busiest road, a 40-mile stretch of the A1 motorway.

0:45:180:45:22

We have one of the major arterial routes

0:45:240:45:26

from north to south of England,

0:45:260:45:27

going right through the middle of our county.

0:45:270:45:30

80,000 vehicles travel

0:45:300:45:32

on North Yorkshire's stretch of the A1 every day.

0:45:320:45:35

And Steve Gardner is back on patrol,

0:45:350:45:37

keeping his eye on the fast-moving traffic.

0:45:370:45:40

Traffic in North Yorkshire is fantastic because, basically,

0:45:410:45:45

I get left alone, I'm my own boss. My patrol car is my office.

0:45:450:45:49

A good day for me is variety.

0:45:490:45:52

'Today, Steve is on the lookout for an offence

0:45:520:45:55

responsible for 12% of all fatal collisions.

0:45:550:46:00

Speeding is prevalent.

0:46:000:46:03

I can sit on a motorway less than two minutes

0:46:030:46:07

and catch someone speeding.

0:46:070:46:09

It's there every minute of every day.

0:46:090:46:11

And, unfortunately, if we do have a motorway accident,

0:46:110:46:14

it usually involves speed.

0:46:140:46:17

Steve's parked up near Boroughbridge, armed with a speed gun.

0:46:170:46:22

Speed limit's 70.

0:46:240:46:26

Um. The government allows 10% plus two.

0:46:260:46:30

So, you're entitled to drive, I suppose, at 79mph.

0:46:300:46:36

Um.

0:46:360:46:38

There's lot of talk of them putting it up to 80.

0:46:380:46:41

In my books, if the limit's 70, and people tend to drive at 80,

0:46:420:46:46

if they put the limit up to 80, then I think people will drive at 90.

0:46:460:46:50

This is a very, very accurate system.

0:46:500:46:53

You can pick out a vehicle from up to 2,000 feet away.

0:46:530:46:57

And, with one in eight of us exceeding the speed limit

0:46:570:47:00

on Britain's motorways, it's not long before Steve clocks an offender.

0:47:000:47:05

D-A-W. Personalised plate.

0:47:050:47:08

Just picked up a speeder on the motorway there, lane three,

0:47:080:47:11

doing 97 in a 70 limit.

0:47:110:47:17

So, let's see if we can catch up with them now.

0:47:170:47:19

Yeah, he's tucked into lane two there,

0:47:220:47:25

personalised plate on a white BMW.

0:47:250:47:27

He's right up the chuff of somebody else there as well,

0:47:280:47:31

which is just ridiculous.

0:47:310:47:33

Look at that following distance, just rubbish.

0:47:330:47:37

97mph is very quick, especially in a busy motorway we've got today.

0:47:370:47:41

I'll get him pulled over now that he's committed to northbound.

0:47:410:47:44

I mean, she's flying.

0:47:440:47:46

Not only is she flying, she's right up behind people, pushing.

0:47:460:47:49

Pushing, pushing.

0:47:490:47:51

To me, that is just completely irresponsible.

0:47:520:47:55

Can you come and take a seat in my car, please?

0:47:570:48:00

Will the kids be all right?

0:48:000:48:01

I'm quite shocked as I approach the car. It's a female driver

0:48:010:48:04

with a very young child, in fact, two young children

0:48:040:48:07

in the back seat of the car.

0:48:070:48:09

And this person is doing 97mph

0:48:090:48:12

with young children in the back of the car.

0:48:120:48:14

OK. I've stopped you for an offence of speeding.

0:48:200:48:23

Can you tell me what the speed limit is on the motorway, please?

0:48:230:48:26

70 or 80. 80, 70?

0:48:260:48:29

-Which one is it?

-70.

-OK.

0:48:290:48:32

How fast were you going?

0:48:320:48:33

Every time I ask that question, how fast do you think you were going?

0:48:350:48:39

I would say 90% of the replies are 85mph.

0:48:390:48:43

And it's just a figure that comes out with every driver I stop.

0:48:430:48:47

97mph in a 70 limit is far, far too fast,

0:48:470:48:51

and bordering dangerous driving, OK?

0:48:510:48:54

Um. I've been on the motorway now for a good hour-and-a-half,

0:48:540:48:57

I've not seen anyone doing anywhere near that speed, OK?

0:48:570:49:00

And, when you did see me, you did slow down, OK?

0:49:000:49:04

You've pulled into lane two.

0:49:040:49:05

And then you're following the car in front of you

0:49:050:49:07

with no stopping distance whatsoever.

0:49:070:49:10

So, if that car in front of you had to brake for some unknown reason,

0:49:100:49:13

you would have slammed straight into the back of it.

0:49:130:49:15

You've got two kids in the back of your car.

0:49:150:49:17

To me, you're not aware of what's going on around you

0:49:170:49:19

in a motor vehicle. You're not driving safely on a motorway.

0:49:190:49:23

You wouldn't believe how many people will tell me that, in the car.

0:49:250:49:28

I've been doing this job for donkey's years.

0:49:280:49:30

Most people say, "I don't normally drive like that."

0:49:300:49:33

It's no excuse.

0:49:330:49:34

You've driven like that today. You're not a great driver today.

0:49:340:49:36

'That's just a rubbish excuse.'

0:49:360:49:38

I mean, if you're absolutely busting,

0:49:380:49:41

then pull off the motorway, get into a lay-by somewhere.

0:49:410:49:45

She's passed at least three junctions in the last ten miles.

0:49:450:49:49

Despite the woman's excuse,

0:49:490:49:52

her excessive speed means that she won't be given a roadside ticket.

0:49:520:49:56

She will have to go to court.

0:49:560:49:58

I know I'm a competent driver. I know you'll say otherwise.

0:49:580:50:02

But I know.

0:50:020:50:03

It doesn't matter, I was in the wrong, isn't it?

0:50:030:50:05

I shouldn't have done it.

0:50:050:50:07

My son was bursting for a wee. He's playing on his game as well.

0:50:070:50:10

So, one minute he's like, "Mummy, I need the toilet."

0:50:100:50:13

And then he's playing on his game, so he forgets, you know.

0:50:130:50:15

And then he'll remind me again, "Mummy, I need the toilet."

0:50:150:50:18

He said, "Mum, I'm going to have to do it on the back seat."

0:50:180:50:21

I, too, have a young family.

0:50:210:50:24

I understand what it's like when a child says, "I need a wee."

0:50:240:50:27

Then, a minute later says they don't need a wee.

0:50:270:50:29

Then they need a wee again.

0:50:290:50:31

But, at the end of the day, once a child says to me, "I need a wee",

0:50:310:50:34

I'm looking for an exit.

0:50:340:50:36

I'll be looking for a way of getting off the motorway.

0:50:360:50:40

Yes, sympathise with this woman all you like,

0:50:400:50:42

but she's just motoring to try to get home.

0:50:420:50:44

-All right, then. Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

0:50:440:50:47

Have a safe day. Bye.

0:50:470:50:49

Although she could be facing a driving ban,

0:50:500:50:53

the driver is unrepentant.

0:50:530:50:55

Some people do drive dangerously.

0:50:550:50:57

I don't feel like I was driving dangerously, you know.

0:50:570:51:01

Everybody is different the way they drive.

0:51:040:51:07

I felt like I was in control of the car. I've got my children there.

0:51:070:51:09

If I didn't think I was in control of the car,

0:51:090:51:11

I wouldn't be going that fast.

0:51:110:51:13

But that's not up to me, apparently, to be the judge of, you know.

0:51:130:51:16

So, I think it's a bit unfair.

0:51:160:51:19

But, you can't fight the law, can you?

0:51:190:51:21

You can't fight the law.

0:51:240:51:26

Peed in the car!

0:51:290:51:31

The price of a car valet isn't the only cost she could be counting.

0:51:330:51:36

It could have an impact on her life in the fact that,

0:51:360:51:39

if she was working for somebody and needed a driving licence

0:51:390:51:42

and was disqualified, then she would lose her job, lose her livelihood.

0:51:420:51:46

It could have a massive impact.

0:51:460:51:48

But it would have a bigger impact on some other family

0:51:480:51:52

if she'd crashed into someone at 97mph.

0:51:520:51:55

So...

0:51:550:51:57

She's just not a great driver.

0:51:570:51:59

Back on the A64 near Tadcaster,

0:52:020:52:04

one of the injured passengers from the car has

0:52:040:52:07

life-threatening chest and abdominal injuries,

0:52:070:52:10

and needs transportation to hospital fast.

0:52:100:52:12

With the roads now closed,

0:52:160:52:18

an air ambulance arrives to take the injured passenger into care.

0:52:180:52:22

'Bearing in mind at this point,

0:52:240:52:26

'I've still only got one other bobby with me.

0:52:260:52:28

'The helicopter's coming. So, that needs somewhere suitable to land.'

0:52:280:52:33

The air ambulance is a fantastic, fantastic bit of kit.

0:52:330:52:36

'It's a great tool to get people to hospital very quickly.'

0:52:360:52:40

They often refer to the golden hour of treatment,

0:52:400:52:43

from initial incident to getting somebody to hospital,

0:52:430:52:46

it can make a massive amount of difference.

0:52:460:52:48

While the passenger is air-lifted to safety,

0:52:480:52:51

the taxi driver is still trapped in the car.

0:52:510:52:54

What we'll have to do is, first of all, get him cut from the vehicle.

0:52:540:52:58

Once he's actually cut from the vehicle,

0:52:580:53:00

they'll want to get him onto a spinal board.

0:53:000:53:01

Despite his condition, he could be to blame for the accident.

0:53:030:53:07

Two independent witnesses are basically saying that

0:53:070:53:10

it's the taxi driver's fault on the face of things,

0:53:100:53:12

as we can tell at the moment.

0:53:120:53:14

The question now is, why a professional driver

0:53:140:53:17

made such a serious error of judgment.

0:53:170:53:20

We've just had some information from the fire brigade, fire service,

0:53:230:53:28

that they could smell alcohol coming from that car,

0:53:280:53:32

possibly from the driver, so it could be that alcohol

0:53:320:53:35

is going to be a factor in the accident.

0:53:350:53:38

Traffic officers like John are only too aware of the consequences

0:53:380:53:42

of driving while over the limit.

0:53:420:53:44

From a personal point of view, I've seen some of the collisions

0:53:460:53:50

that have been caused by people who have had a drink.

0:53:500:53:54

And I look at that, I've got a family,

0:53:540:53:57

I don't want any of my family to be involved in an accident

0:53:570:54:00

with some drink-driver.

0:54:000:54:02

The taxi driver has got to deal with the fact that he's had a crash

0:54:020:54:05

where his father, who is quite elderly, has been hurt.

0:54:050:54:08

And that he's got to live with that.

0:54:080:54:12

Steady, move. Hang on.

0:54:120:54:14

-A little bit more.

-Yeah.

0:54:140:54:17

The driver is finally freed, and rushed to hospital.

0:54:170:54:20

Meanwhile, collision investigator Dave Taylor arrives

0:54:200:54:23

to carry out a forensics investigation of the scene.

0:54:230:54:27

As I say to quite a lot of officers,

0:54:310:54:33

if somebody had come onto the A64 at 5.30 this morning or this afternoon

0:54:330:54:39

with a shotgun, and killed somebody,

0:54:390:54:41

nobody would be allowed into this scene.

0:54:410:54:44

That is exactly the same what has happened.

0:54:440:54:48

What you've got here is, you've got two people

0:54:480:54:51

driving lethal weapons, ie, cars.

0:54:510:54:54

And someone has been injured as a result of someone using that.

0:54:540:54:59

That's the analogy that I use.

0:54:590:55:01

If the driver survives

0:55:010:55:03

and one of the other occupants dies in that vehicle,

0:55:030:55:06

then he is culpable, and he potentially would be responsible,

0:55:060:55:10

and we'd be looking at a criminal investigation then.

0:55:100:55:13

So, albeit that we have got other witnesses who say

0:55:130:55:17

that the taxi pulled out, we've got to be absolutely certain.

0:55:170:55:20

We've got to gather as much evidence as we can that, if need be,

0:55:200:55:23

we could take a watertight case to court.

0:55:230:55:26

An alcohol reading taken from the injured taxi driver

0:55:270:55:30

confirms he is over twice the legal limit.

0:55:300:55:33

And further investigation of the taxi

0:55:340:55:36

throws up more potential evidence.

0:55:360:55:39

We found that, actually, when he's pulled out of the junction,

0:55:390:55:42

the taxi driver was in third gear.

0:55:420:55:44

Bear in mind, as well, his judgment is impaired at that point

0:55:440:55:47

by the fact that he's had a drink.

0:55:470:55:49

So, he's seen a gap which he thought was safe to go,

0:55:490:55:53

but he's in third gear.

0:55:530:55:55

That means, when he tries to pull away from the junction,

0:55:550:55:57

he doesn't have that power to get him out of it immediately.

0:55:570:56:00

If found guilty, the driver will lose his licence,

0:56:020:56:05

and be banned from driving taxis for ten years.

0:56:050:56:09

The taxi driver,

0:56:090:56:11

he's suffered quite serious injuries as a result of this accident.

0:56:110:56:14

He's probably the person who's come off worst of all.

0:56:140:56:16

I know some people might say, well, good, that serves him right.

0:56:160:56:20

But I am a sympathetic person

0:56:200:56:23

and I can't help but have some sympathy for him.

0:56:230:56:26

In a way, you could argue, actually, this guy's been lucky

0:56:280:56:31

because nobody's been killed.

0:56:310:56:33

The other people involved have made a good recovery.

0:56:330:56:36

And he'll live to tell the tale.

0:56:360:56:39

And, at some point, he can move on and, I hope, and I think he will,

0:56:390:56:43

he'll learn a lesson and never do it again.

0:56:430:56:46

The woman who crashed her car in Knaresborough

0:56:540:56:57

was found guilty of being over the prescribed limit, and was fined £395,

0:56:570:57:02

and disqualified for 20 months.

0:57:020:57:06

The drunk pensioner who crashed into a line of parked cars

0:57:060:57:09

whilst more than three times the legal alcohol limit,

0:57:090:57:12

pleaded guilty at court, and was fined £800,

0:57:120:57:16

and disqualified from driving for 25 months.

0:57:160:57:19

The man who took his mother's tractor on a joyride

0:57:190:57:22

was charged with disqualified driving and no insurance.

0:57:220:57:26

He was disqualified for three years, and fined £400.

0:57:260:57:31

At the police station, he blew under the legal alcohol limit.

0:57:310:57:34

The lorry driver who collided with a car head on, killing the driver,

0:57:350:57:39

was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving,

0:57:390:57:43

and sentenced to seven years and eight months.

0:57:430:57:46

The woman caught speeding on the motorway

0:57:470:57:49

as she raced to reach the loo was fined £70 with £105 costs,

0:57:490:57:55

and received five points on her licence.

0:57:550:57:58

And the taxi driver who collided with a transit van

0:57:580:58:02

on the A64 near York pleaded guilty to being over the prescribed limit,

0:58:020:58:06

and careless driving.

0:58:060:58:08

He was fined £150, and disqualified for 16 months.

0:58:080:58:13

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