Police Video Highlights Narrow Escape on A64 as Court Hears Careless Driving Case

Friday, 4 July 2025 16:23

North Yorkshire Police have released dramatic in-car footage revealing a near head-on collision involving a police vehicle responding to an emergency on the A64 near West Heslerton.

The video accompanies the conclusion of a court case in which a man pleaded guilty to careless driving in relation to the incident.

According to police, the collision was narrowly avoided when an oncoming car swerved across the carriageway into the path of the police vehicle. The driver was attempting to avoid another car that had come to a stop. Thanks to the officer’s quick reaction, what could have been a catastrophic crash was averted.

The driver appeared before Scarborough Magistrates Court on July 4th 2025. He was fined £415, ordered to pay £85 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service, and handed a £166 victim surcharge. Nine penalty points were also added to his licence.

Traffic Constable Joseph Schramm, who investigated the incident, emphasised that the video illustrates the importance of road awareness and maintaining safe distances between vehicles.

“This footage clearly demonstrates why you should keep your distance from the car in front and be aware of what is going on around you including observing the road ahead.

“You must have enough space between you so that you can safely stop in the event of the vehicle in front coming to a stop.

“You can see how close the car came to hitting the police car head-on and the lack of awareness of vehicles on the opposite carriageway. The presence of the police car could not have been more obvious.

“The consequences could have been catastrophic for all involved. Thankfully the officer, driving on blue lights and sirens, took quick action to avoid the oncoming vehicle.”

Police noted that fines from cases like these are paid directly to the Government, while victim surcharges contribute to a central fund supporting victims of crime.

The release of the footage aims to reinforce safe driving practices, especially on fast-moving regional routes where visibility and quick decision-making are critical.

Did you find this article useful?

This is the Coast is committed to providing a daily local news service for the Yorkshire Coast. We are a small locally owned and operated business which employs professional journalists and reporters. We do not receive any public funding or grants and we are entirely funded by our local commercial operations. We enjoy fabulous support from local businesses who work with us on their advertising and marketing campaigns, but the cost of providing high quality, well researched, fact checked local news coverage is significant.

If you appreciate what This is the Coast does, and would like to help support our journalism, please consider supporting us on a monthly basis today.

A small contribution from all our readers would really help support independent journalism for the Yorkshire Coast.