This is the moment the driver of a £100,000 Porsche mounted the kerb to pass a bin lorry, as waste management company Biffa warns it is a matter of time before someone is killed. The footage is among hundreds of incidents across the UK where impatient motorists have driven on pavements, putting lives at risk. In one case, a loader suffered a broken leg after being hit.
Incidents on the rise
Biffa reported 1,095 incidents in the last year, with 272 in the last three months. The worst region is the west, covering Cornwall, South Warwickshire, Anglesey and The Wirral, with 653 incidents. The south had 214, the Midlands 88 and Leicester 42.
The drivers, including cars, vans and motorcycles, were caught on Biffa truck cameras. Biffa is working with police and has placed a slogan on some trucks: "Watch Out - Driving on pavements is illegal and can kill."
Penalties and warnings
A National Police Chiefs' Council spokesperson said: "We all have a personal responsibility for keeping everyone safe on the roads and any behaviour which compromises this is unacceptable." Driving on the pavement is a criminal offence. Careless driving can result in three to nine penalty points and a fine; dangerous driving can lead to an unlimited fine, a driving ban and a prison sentence.
Tony Jones, a Biffa driver loader of 12 years from The Wirral, said he sees dangerous driving daily and a colleague recently suffered a badly broken leg. He stated: "We get people in vehicles who will try and get round the wagon and will literally drive on the pavement just to get past us. It's impatient people who don't want to wait an extra minute or two for the wagon to move out of the way."
Risk to children and elderly
Jones recalled a food delivery motorcycle driving across a pavement just feet from front doors. He said the motorbike delivery riders are the worst. Incidents occur near schools, with children waving at the trucks. Jones added: "Please think twice and I know it can be frustrating to be stuck behind a wagon but don't try to overtake and drive on the pavement as it will cause an accident and we will catch you on the cameras that are on the truck and we will report it to the police."
Gary Carvell, Health & Safety Director at Biffa, said: "Most people would be shocked to see just how often drivers mount pavements to get around bin lorries. What might seem like a quick shortcut can put our crews and members of the public at serious risk." He urged drivers to think twice before making dangerous manoeuvres.
