SUV driver, 33, gets a one-year ban after he was filmed swerving on the road by another motorist
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Not a good deed! Woman who sent dash cam footage to police of a driver dangerously transporting her – earning him a year-long suspension – was herself prosecuted because it showed SHE was driving in the wrong lane
A woman who sent police dashcam video of a driver dangerously chasing her was warned she could face prosecution herself because the footage showed she was driving in the wrong lane.
Philip Baxter, from Kettering, was recorded swerving between lanes on the A45 Nene Valley Way in Northampton in January following an alleged ‘road rage’ incident.
Footage showed Baxter’s Toyota Land Cruiser driving another vehicle as they drove down the road. The other driver, a 59-year-old woman from Deene, flashed her headlights at him before crossing a lane.
Baxter, 33, then drove his SUV across the roadway and forced the other car toward the median barrier.
He was found guilty of dangerous driving at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on November 8 and has since been disbarred for 12 months.
Police also determined that the woman who submitted the footage had remained in the side lane prior to the incident, when the side lane was clear. She was given notice of intended prosecution, and chose to complete an education.
An SUV driver has been banned from driving for a year after dashcam video captured him weaving between lanes following an alleged ‘road rage’ incident
The dashcam video was uploaded to the police online portal shortly after the incident.
When reviewing the clip, police believed Baxter had “deliberately incited” the other driver to take “evasive action.”
However, he pleaded not guilty to the offense and told his trial that his SUV had a mechanical failure that forced him to swerve.
This claim was not accepted by the court. He was banned from driving for a year and must pass an extensive driving test.
He was also ordered to perform 100 hours of unpaid community service and pay £545 costs and a £95 victim’s allowance.
“The video evidence clearly showed that he deliberately swerved into lane two, causing the other driver to swerve to avoid a collision,” explains PC Mo Allsopp-Clarke of Northamptonshire Police’s Safer Roads Team.
“Baxter’s recklessness could easily have ended in tragic consequences, and I’m glad the courts have treated him favorably.”
Philip Baxter, from Kettering, was recorded driving dangerously on the A45 Nene Valley Way in Northampton in January
Video showed Baxter’s Toyota Land Cruiser driving another vehicle as they drove down the road. The other driver flashed his headlights at him before crossing a lane. Baxter, 33, then drove his SUV across the roadway, forcing the other car toward the median barrier
So was the woman who submitted the video to the police prosecuted for careless driving.
Police determined that the footage showed the woman remaining in the off-side lane prior to the incident when the adjacent lane was clear.
She received notice of intended prosecution and chose to receive an education.
PC Allsopp-Clarke added: ‘The success of Operation Snap is due to the continued support of the public, which enables us to act on traffic violations that we otherwise would not see.
“Hopefully this case shows that we take all instances of bad driving very seriously and will prosecute offenders accordingly, which can only be a good thing to keep our roads safer.
“However, it also serves as a reminder that we are examining footage for evidence of wrongdoing by all parties. So if you commit an offense just as much as the person you are reporting, you could also be prosecuted.
“We will not overlook one crime to prosecute another.”