0:00:02 > 0:00:04The A1, Britain's longest road.
0:00:05 > 0:00:09Stretching almost 400 miles from the city of London to the heart
0:00:09 > 0:00:11of the Scottish capital.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17Connecting two nations and passing through 18 counties,
0:00:17 > 0:00:19it's an unrivalled highway,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22used by hundreds of thousands of vehicles every day.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25We're going southbound down the A1 on the northbound carriageway.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29But not all journeys go to plan.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34I thought, I'm going to lose my life.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Cars are coming close. It is a dangerous place to be.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Lives can hang in the balance.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44The rear end of that vehicle, it's unrecognisable.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46This is actually the bodywork of the car.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51- 24 hours a day... - It's not a safe place here.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54..there's a team of people who keep us safe from harm.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57The police...
0:00:57 > 0:00:59response teams...
0:00:59 > 0:01:02We don't know whether we've got the road closed. We don't know what's happened.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04..and traffic officers...
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Keep going.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12- ..keeping Britain's most iconic road...- Get out!
0:01:12 > 0:01:14..on the move.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Substantially damaged flatbed truck in lane two.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22The A1, the monster that it is, will start to return to normal.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Coming up, a horrific crash,
0:01:29 > 0:01:33- with devastating consequences. - You get one chance at life.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36And it's a really, really precious thing.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40The race to rescue drivers... HE WHISTLES
0:01:40 > 0:01:43..caught in a four-car collision.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45One three. All vehicles cleared of the lane two now.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50And the lorries putting lives at risk.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52This is a fuel tank.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55The cap's missing and somebody's just put a plastic bag in.
0:02:00 > 0:02:01From the heart of London,
0:02:01 > 0:02:04the A1 stretches nearly 400 miles north,
0:02:04 > 0:02:08through rural Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, past the industrial
0:02:08 > 0:02:10heartlands of Leeds and Newcastle,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14before finally ending in the city of Edinburgh.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16On the section just north of Newcastle,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19evening rush hour traffic is starting to build.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24A1 patrol officer PC Alan Keenleyside
0:02:24 > 0:02:28has stopped to investigate a heavy goods vehicle with Spanish plates.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32It's pulled over on the side of the road and is causing
0:02:32 > 0:02:34a dangerous obstruction.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37- HORN BLARES - What's wrong?- No, no. Two minutes.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39I go.
0:02:39 > 0:02:40This is not a place to stop.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42- No, I go.- Now.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44- Yes.- OK.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46- OK.- Let me see your chart.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49The driver's tachograph reveals that she's reached the maximum
0:02:49 > 0:02:54number of driving hours allowed before taking a break.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57You've been driving all day.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00You should have stopped one, two miles up the road.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03But as Alan advises the driver about her rest break,
0:03:03 > 0:03:07another HGV pulls up.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10And the driver's eager to talk to Alan.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17All right, boss. No worries. Cheers, buddy. Thank you.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19And another driver has also seen the accident.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Whereabouts?
0:03:24 > 0:03:27A pile-up in rush hour traffic is serious.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35POLICE SIREN
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Alan needs to get there quickly.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44To be perfectly honest,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48it's now quarter past five on a Monday afternoon.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Couldn't happen at a worse time.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54Multi-car crashes often result in casualties,
0:03:54 > 0:03:56but Alan's hoping for the best.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01The ideal scenario is when we get here is nobody's seriously injured,
0:04:01 > 0:04:05the vehicles aren't particularly badly damaged,
0:04:05 > 0:04:07we can get everything moved.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10The level of injury at the scene isn't confirmed at the minute.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12But ambulances have been asked for.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14It's these people going about their business,
0:04:14 > 0:04:16probably coming home from work,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19to see their families and their loved ones,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21and all of a sudden, they've left work,
0:04:21 > 0:04:24they don't think they're going to be involved in something big like this.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26There's a car in a tree, down the ditch.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29This is really, really key in people's lives.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31These are life-changing events.
0:04:35 > 0:04:36When Alan arrives at the scene,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39it's clear that he's dealing with a major accident.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52We've got a car over there with some serious damage.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Got a Land Rover here.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03And two vehicles, three vehicles here, so quite a sizeable scene.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07With several injured motorists,
0:05:07 > 0:05:11vehicles and debris everywhere, and rush hour traffic thundering
0:05:11 > 0:05:13past, this job will push Alan to the limit.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25This is just one of more than 320 serious accidents that happen
0:05:25 > 0:05:27on the A1 every year.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30And it's the job of traffic officers,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33as well as the police, to deal with them.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37In Doncaster, two are about to head out on the early shift.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45It's 6:30am and Paul Day and Rob Larkin will be patrolling one
0:05:45 > 0:05:47of the busiest sections of the road.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Turn them all on. All off.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51Yeah.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57And it's not long before they have a major collision to deal with.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03- RADIO:- 'Just hearing about a few problems on the A1.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05'Looks like we could have accident involving at least
0:06:05 > 0:06:07'a couple of vehicles on the southbound side,
0:06:07 > 0:06:11'it's now slowing to queue there, so looks like we could have a problem.'
0:06:11 > 0:06:15What we've got reports of is a multi-vehicle crash,
0:06:15 > 0:06:16so we're heading south to attend it.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20Four cars have piled into each other and, with rush hour traffic
0:06:20 > 0:06:23hurtling towards them at 70mph,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Paul and Rob know the stranded road users are in danger.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31We'll stop traffic, we'll see if anybody's injured,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33make sure everybody's OK.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36We try and get everything back to normal as quickly as possible,
0:06:36 > 0:06:40- but as safely as possible as well. - There you go.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42Is it there?
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Yeah, lane two's blocked.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Even though the accident has only just happened,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50traffic is already starting to build.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54One three, lane two's currently blocked. At the location given.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Paul and Rob need to get back down the other carriageway quickly,
0:06:58 > 0:07:02but the northbound section is also virtually at a standstill.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03Look at that traffic.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Fortunately, help is at hand. SIREN
0:07:08 > 0:07:11That should make it a little bit easier for us.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14What's good here is police attending gives forward traffic
0:07:14 > 0:07:16a way of moving out of the way.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18Cos they've got blue lights and sirens.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26- Within a few minutes, Rob and Paul are on the scene.- We're here now.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28You want to stop everybody from that blue wagon?
0:07:33 > 0:07:36The damaged vehicles are blocking a whole lane.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40And the drivers are stood perilously in the middle of the road.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43HE WHISTLES With traffic still flowing past,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46they're in serious danger of being knocked down.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49I've got traffic stopped with code six. Police on scene.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00Having removed the vehicles safely from the carriageway...
0:08:00 > 0:08:04One three, all vehicles cleared of the lane two now.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06..Paul and Rob can reopen one of the lanes.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12A lane one close is better than a lane two.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15So that's what we've done, is put a lane one out.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Now he needs to make sure the drivers are OK.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24- How are you? - Shaking like a leaf, to be honest.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28Are you? You're all right. Can you tell us what happened?
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Right, so, big queue of cars in front of me.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34They all sort of suddenly stopped. I've managed to stop.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38But then just felt this car come straight into the back of me.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42Um, and then, it was almost instant, bang, bang, bang.
0:08:42 > 0:08:43Everything happened all at once.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45- I felt it.- Did you?- Yeah.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Shaking a bit. Are you all right? Are you warm enough?
0:08:48 > 0:08:51- I'm all right, yeah.- You sure? Got a coat in your car?
0:08:51 > 0:08:52- I'm fine, honest.- Sure?
0:08:55 > 0:08:57Even with just one lane closed,
0:08:57 > 0:09:02the usual A1 traffic flow is halved and tailbacks are building fast.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07It's vital that Rob and Paul get the drivers and their damaged
0:09:07 > 0:09:10vehicles safely off the hard shoulder and open the whole
0:09:10 > 0:09:12carriageway as quickly as possible.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15I bet this is going back at least ten mile, this traffic.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17This could take all day to clear.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19The pressure is on.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Can Paul and Rob get hundreds of vehicles moving
0:09:22 > 0:09:25before traffic is delayed for hours to come?
0:09:34 > 0:09:37More than 100 miles north at Gosforth in Newcastle,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40rush hour traffic has also been brought to virtual standstill.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48A1 patrol officer PC Alan Keenleyside is still dealing
0:09:48 > 0:09:50with a multiple crash in the outside lane.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56- So, he's coming at speed. He's hit that one.- Yeah.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59- Which has then connected with either that one or that one.- That one.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04His priority is to get the injured driver seen to,
0:10:04 > 0:10:06now that the ambulance has arrived.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11The paramedics are seeing to the driver of the vehicle that's
0:10:11 > 0:10:14taken the biggest hit of them all really.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16I think the driver is going to be suffering typically of
0:10:16 > 0:10:18whiplash-type injuries.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21I always err quite rightly on the side of caution,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24so we're going to put a neck collar on him and I imagine that
0:10:24 > 0:10:27driver will be going off to hospital to be properly looked at.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29The rear end of that vehicle, it's unrecognisable.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34The lady driving the Land Rover has been fortunate to have
0:10:34 > 0:10:36escaped unhurt.
0:10:43 > 0:10:44Yeah.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47But she witnessed the whole thing.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Footage taken from her dashcam captured the terrifying
0:10:50 > 0:10:52moment of impact...
0:10:56 > 0:10:59..when congestion turned into a multicar collision.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03I was driving along, traffic was slowing down,
0:11:03 > 0:11:07I'm slowing down with the traffic. And then, it was a silver car,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10and then it smashed into the front of me.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19And then, next thing, that car ended up in the ditch.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25It was as if something off like a Hollywood film.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Just chuck a car into the mix.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31The positive thing is I'm walking away, I'm OK.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35It's a car. I can replace the car. My baby wasn't in the car, luckily.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Or that could have been very bad for my little boy.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43- With the injured drivers receiving treatment...- Come on, come on. OK.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45..the officers now need to get
0:11:45 > 0:11:47the road reopened as quickly as possible.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51We've got a clear front end impact
0:11:51 > 0:11:54with what we call vehicle number one.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Cos that's the vehicle that we're looking at as potentially
0:11:57 > 0:12:00being responsible. But over there, we've got vehicle number two,
0:12:00 > 0:12:02which has taken a heavy impact.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12OK, would you like to follow over?
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Although police are trying to keep traffic moving,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21there's still dangerous wreckage strewn across the road.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25If we leave a bit of debris,
0:12:25 > 0:12:27a motorbike or car could see that debris,
0:12:27 > 0:12:31especially at night-time with the headlights, and they could actually
0:12:31 > 0:12:34swerve to avoid that debris, which could result in another collision.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37So we need to make sure when we clean the road that it's
0:12:37 > 0:12:40- cleaned properly. - But there's another problem.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43The crashed vehicles have also spilled fluid all over the
0:12:43 > 0:12:45- northbound carriageway. - It's mainly water,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48but there's a little bit of engine oil in it as well.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51It means that Alan has to hold up the whole of the southbound
0:12:51 > 0:12:56section, so that absorbent material can quickly be laid on the road.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59It'll only take about two or three minutes,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02so we need to get that absorbed to make the carriageway safe, so
0:13:02 > 0:13:05things like motorbikes don't slide on the road, that type of thing.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11The only thing left to do is to safely remove the wrecked
0:13:11 > 0:13:13vehicles from the side of the road.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27What you see on the back of the car there, that's all energy.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30That's probably 60 to 70mph's worth of energy.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37Now, Alan is able to review the footage from the dashcam
0:13:37 > 0:13:39for the first time.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43Wow!
0:13:43 > 0:13:46That Micra's taken a really sizeable collision there.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48The gentleman's got his lights on.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50The gentleman's brake lights are all correctly working,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52correctly illuminated.
0:13:54 > 0:13:55Big collision.
0:14:00 > 0:14:01The roads are a cruel place.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05We hear stories from all over the country of a family in
0:14:05 > 0:14:09a car doing nothing wrong, sitting in traffic, and all of a sudden,
0:14:09 > 0:14:13there's children and adults tragically killed in a split second.
0:14:16 > 0:14:21And when you see things like this, it does hit it home. It really does.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24Because you get one chance at life and it's a really,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26really precious thing.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40The A1 is one of Britain's key routes for lorries
0:14:40 > 0:14:42transporting cargo.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44More than 80 miles away, near Wetherby,
0:14:44 > 0:14:48an operation is under way to identify HGVs that present a danger
0:14:48 > 0:14:50to other road users.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59Lorries are responsible for one in five deaths or injuries in
0:14:59 > 0:15:01accidents on the A1 each year.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04So the stakes are high.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Faults like dodgy brakes or worn tyres on any vehicle are
0:15:08 > 0:15:13a hazard, but on a 40-tonne truck, the results can be terrifying.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24Parked up on the A1 is senior traffic inspector Paul Berryman.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27Victor two in position. Northbound.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30It's his job to spot suspect trucks.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36It's hard to actually tell you what I'm looking for.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38It's something that you...
0:15:38 > 0:15:41It's an instinct you get over a period of time.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44It's something just doesn't look right on the road.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47If it looks a little heavy, if it's not being driven right.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55And it's not long before Paul sees something that warrants
0:15:55 > 0:15:57a closer look.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01I'm just going to get that tanker there. That Belgian tanker.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07Paul needs to overtake the lorry so he can signal him to pull over.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12So I'll just get in front of him.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15But he knows we want him now cos he's slowing right down.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18The other thing I've got to watch is as I pull off the motorway,
0:16:18 > 0:16:22if he doesn't feel like following me, he'll just continue straight on
0:16:22 > 0:16:25up, which is an offence, of course, and he can be prosecuted for that.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30And Paul leads him to a weighbridge site, just off the motorway, where
0:16:30 > 0:16:34the team from the Driver And Vehicle Standards Agency are running
0:16:34 > 0:16:36today's operation.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41Hiya.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43How are you?
0:16:44 > 0:16:46I'm just giving it a quick look round,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50recording the registration number.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54Just make sure he's got all his necessary markings and
0:16:54 > 0:16:57there's nothing hanging off
0:16:57 > 0:16:59and everything looks secure.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03With 30,000 litres of Belgian chocolate on board,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06the driver's heading for York. For now though,
0:17:06 > 0:17:10he'll be the one taking a break while Paul checks his paperwork.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Meanwhile, another lorry that was brought in earlier is getting
0:17:16 > 0:17:18its mechanical once-over.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21And it doesn't take examiner Steve White long to find
0:17:21 > 0:17:22a serious problem.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Right.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30This is a fuel tank but obviously the cap's missing.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Somebody's just put a plastic bag in.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Obviously, that's going to result in immediate prohibition,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39so the vehicle can't be going any further with that defect on it
0:17:39 > 0:17:41until it's been rectified.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47With only a plastic bag stopping hundreds of litres of fuel
0:17:47 > 0:17:50from spilling all over the A1, it could be lethal.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55Even the smallest patch of diesel can be dangerous to motorists.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58So, until it's fixed,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Romanian driver Sorin and his truck full of clothing
0:18:01 > 0:18:03won't be going anywhere.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05You need to phone your boss and get him to send a fuel cap.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16While Sorin makes his call, Steve moves on to the Belgian chocolate
0:18:16 > 0:18:19tanker and spots a fault with one of the tyres.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23I'll just show you this defect.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25- You've got some damage on a tyre.- Yeah?
0:18:25 > 0:18:28It's not down to the wires or structure,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30so at this moment in time, it's just advisory.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33You just need to keep an eye on it, that's all.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36With advice given and his paperwork all in order,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39the driver and his delicious haul are on their way.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44But things aren't quite so sweet for driver Sorin.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56That'll be about 15 miles away.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00About 20 miles... 15/20 miles away.
0:19:00 > 0:19:01Is possible?
0:19:01 > 0:19:04It is possible but you need to get to Volvo.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06How are you going to get there? Taxi?
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Taxi?
0:19:09 > 0:19:12Sorin's day isn't getting any better.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14First came the fixed penalty fine and now he's facing
0:19:14 > 0:19:19a 30-mile round trip in a taxi to try and get a fuel cap.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Will he ever get back on the road?
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Just over 20 miles south near Doncaster,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32traffic officers are grappling with another big challenge.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38HE WHISTLES
0:19:38 > 0:19:42After a multi-car pile-up, Paul Day and Rob Larkin are still battling to
0:19:42 > 0:19:44keep stranded motorists out of harm's way.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Vehicles cleared of the lane two now.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Having closed both lanes whilst damaged vehicles were removed
0:19:57 > 0:19:58from the carriageway,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01they've now reopened one of them to ease the traffic.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Around 50 people are killed or seriously injured on Britain's
0:20:09 > 0:20:14hard shoulders every year, so Paul's priority is the drivers' safety.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18What we do now is keep an eye on people because of the
0:20:18 > 0:20:22tendency to wander about without a view for any safety.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25So that's what I'm doing at the minute is keeping an eye on
0:20:25 > 0:20:26people who are in cars.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28We don't want anybody getting further injured.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Like, there's a bloke I'm going to move now cos he's stood
0:20:31 > 0:20:32on the outside of that car.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38- Mate! - HE WHISTLES
0:20:41 > 0:20:46The danger is somebody not seeing this lane closure and coming
0:20:46 > 0:20:48in to him.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51They'd just take him out. He's just not looking behind him at anything.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57To ensure everyone's safe,
0:20:57 > 0:21:01Paul needs to get the drivers and their vehicles off the carriageway.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02Watch yourselves, boys!
0:21:04 > 0:21:07But only two of the cars are roadworthy.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09The others will have to be recovered.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11That'll just save it coming off in the road then.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Instead of leaving these two vehicles here,
0:21:14 > 0:21:18what we're planning to do is get the police to escort the Fiesta
0:21:18 > 0:21:22off to the next exit, so he can get recovered from there.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25With the white Fiesta safely chaperoned off,
0:21:25 > 0:21:28there's just the grey BMW left to shift.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33But it won't start.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34There's nothing there.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37So Rob and Paul will have to push it off the road.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44Right, we're going down this hard shoulder and the first little
0:21:44 > 0:21:47yard, we're going in there, all right?
0:21:49 > 0:21:54But weighing in at around 1.5 tonnes, this isn't going to be easy.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57It's a German BMW, great engineering,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01they make them out of solid steel. It's really, really hard to push.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03I hope he's had his porridge this morning.
0:22:05 > 0:22:11No need for a workout today. Luckily, the car is facing downhill.
0:22:11 > 0:22:12That's better. I've got grip.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Job's a good 'un.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Minutes later, a recovery truck arrives to pick up the grey BMW.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35Finally, Rob and Paul can now start to get both lanes fully reopened.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Everybody's cleared the live lane, so we can open this lane.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41We're trying to get it open as quick as we can.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44It's taken nearly an hour and a half to clear the smash and the
0:22:44 > 0:22:47effects on this two-lane stretch will be long lasting.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49If it was normal motorway,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52it'd clear a lot quicker cos you've got three lanes.
0:22:52 > 0:22:53It can handle more volume.
0:22:53 > 0:22:58But with it being two lanes, it'll take forever.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Unless traffic eases, it can take all day
0:23:01 > 0:23:04and especially if something else happens, it compounds it.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08You can have knock-on effects all the way down.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15- That can be pretty much everyday job, can't it, on here?- Oh, yeah.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18- You could get one of them every day.- Shunts.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Every day, every shift.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23It's because of the amount of traffic that uses this road.
0:23:23 > 0:23:29- And people drive too close to each other.- Too close, too fast.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33Thankfully, Paul and Rob's swift actions have ensured that
0:23:33 > 0:23:35this incident has ended without anyone getting hurt.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Back up the road near Wetherby,
0:23:44 > 0:23:48keeping A1 road users safe is also a top priority for another team.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Inspectors from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
0:23:53 > 0:23:57are continuing their operation to stop and check lorries
0:23:57 > 0:23:59to ensure they're roadworthy.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Earlier, this wagon was found to have a serious fault
0:24:03 > 0:24:07by enforcement vehicle examiner Steve White.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11The fuel cap is missing and a plastic bag is the only thing
0:24:11 > 0:24:12stopping a lethal spill.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Driver Sorin has gone to find a replacement cap,
0:24:18 > 0:24:22but with no sign of his return, Steve has to take action.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24We're going to immobilise the vehicle now.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28He's had an hour from issuing the probation notice.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Obviously, the vehicle's still got the defect on,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33so it gets immobilised.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40And with the front wheel locked, this lorry really is going nowhere.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48Fellow Inspector Paul Berryman is back on the A1 and pulling in
0:24:48 > 0:24:50another truck for inspection.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01Hello, we're just going to do a quick control. Is that OK?
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Steve checks the truck for mechanical faults and gives
0:25:03 > 0:25:06it the all-clear.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10But Paul is suspicious about the tachograph
0:25:10 > 0:25:14which records the driver's hours, speed and distance.
0:25:14 > 0:25:19Well, the indication is that there's some sort of interference
0:25:19 > 0:25:24but it's not solid enough to give any, sort of, evidence or proof.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28We would need a bit more to go on.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34The truck has done over 1 million kilometres,
0:25:34 > 0:25:38so Paul would expect to see about 50 small mechanical faults
0:25:38 > 0:25:39recorded in that time.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44Things like a flat battery, but there's nothing.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47That's the first time I've ever come across a printout like that
0:25:47 > 0:25:51with no faults on in ten years.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54I've never seen a printout with no faults on, ever.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Not even on trucks that are weeks old.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58There's always faults.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01But this just hasn't any faults whatsoever.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03So either it has been very, very lucky
0:26:03 > 0:26:06and never had a fault or it's never recorded a fault
0:26:06 > 0:26:10or it's been manipulated some way and the faults have been erased.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Paul suspects a magnet may have been used to tamper with the
0:26:17 > 0:26:20tachograph but the inspectors can't find one.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25So with no physical evidence, all Paul can do is ask the driver.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28I guarantee you he's going to say no.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Have you been using a magnet?
0:26:34 > 0:26:37A magnet? Switch?
0:26:37 > 0:26:39- Switch? Zapper?- No.- No?
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Are you sure?
0:26:41 > 0:26:44- Are you sure?- Yeah, yeah. - 100%?- No.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47No magnet? Really?
0:26:47 > 0:26:52OK. It just seems too clean.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59Reluctantly, Paul has to let the lorry go.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03And Romanian driver Sorin is back with a new fuel cap.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11Yeah, that's fine. The gentleman's paid his fee for the immobilisation.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15He's also paid his fixed penalty fee for the defect.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Once we remove this, the gentleman is on his way.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20- OK.- OK. Thank you.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25It's been a successful day for the team.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28They've pulled over 11 vehicles, identified four dangerous faults
0:27:28 > 0:27:33and ensured these drivers are safe to keep on trucking.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Everyone involved in the multi-car smash made a full recovery.
0:27:42 > 0:27:47The driver of the white van is being investigated for careless driving.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53And lorry driver Sorin made one last trip back to the DVSA...
0:27:53 > 0:27:56He set off and he forgot his documents.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59- ..before getting back on the road... - OK!
0:27:59 > 0:28:00..and completing his A1 journey.