A drink driver who smashed into the back of a police car at the scene of a lane closure on the A1 has been disqualified from driving. Cambridgeshire officers were removing the closure after a broken down vehicle had been recovered on the A1 at Tinwell, just over the county border in Leicestershire, at just before 1am last Wednesday (14 August).
One officer was in the driver’s seat of the police car while the other was removing road cones at the front of the vehicle.
However, the officer at the front of the car noticed a Volkswagen Crafter van quickly being driven towards them.
The driver, Luke Johnson, 37, was heading towards them so fast that the officer only just had chance to dive out of the way.
Johnson smashed into the back of the police car, causing injuries to the officer who was still inside and substantial damage to the emergency vehicle. Luckily, the officer was not seriously injured.
Other police units arrived at the scene and Johnson took a breath test by the roadside, where he gave a reading of 113 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath – more than three times the legal limit of 35 microgrammes.
Johnson, of Major Street, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was arrested on suspicion of drink driving.
In police interview, he admitted having a problem with alcohol and drinking vodka while at work at 9pm that same evening.
Johnson said he went a different route to usual, via the A1, but this was described as ‘quite dark’.
He claimed he didn’t see any police lights or traffic cones, and his last memory before the crash was coming to a stop.
Johnson pleaded guilty to drink driving and driving without due care and attention. He was sentenced at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court today (20 August) where he was handed a community order with a nine-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
He was also disqualified from driving for two years and fined £336.
Sergeant David McIlwhan said: “It was pure luck that day that the officers involved were not more seriously injured.
“Johnson put lives at risk when he made the decision to get in his vehicle and drive after drinking alcohol, when he was also supposed to be working at the time.
“We encourage anyone who suspects a drink driver to report it to us.”
Cambridgeshire Constabulary operates a confidential, 24/7 hotline to report suspected drink and drug drivers on 0800 032 0845.
For more information on drink and drug driving, including the law and the legal limits, visit the force’s dedicated web page.
