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P Cs Malcolm Thomas (above right) and Keith Butler of the
Page 69
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Accident Investigation Unit, Durham Police, cover a large swathe of country Their patch stretches from Brough, high up west on the A66, to Weardale in the east. From north to south, their jurisdiction spreads from Rowlands Gill to Scotch Corner. "It is quite an area," remarks Thomas.
Thomas and Butler are among eight PCs of the county's Accident Traffic Unit. A sergeant is in charge of the men. Between them. Thomas and Butler have 46 years' traffic police experience. Both are full PCV Licence holders, and they both hold the City and Guilds Motor Vehicle Examinations, Cars and Commercials certificate. PC Butler has a Class 1 licence.
There is a marked difference between normal traffic police and Accident Investigation Unit personnel. Traffic police often go out on patrol, whereas the accident investigators are usually only mobilised if there is a fatality or a suspected vehicle defect. There is a lot of other work to be done, though. Thomas and Butler have been known to examine 150 taxis in just two days, on behalf of the local authority.
Given the nature of the Accident Investigation Unit's work, Thomas and Butler see some unpalatable sights. HGVs are invaluable to the country's infrastructure, but when things go wrong the sheer size of these vehicles can make them lethal weapons.
"Every year we have a fatality involving a truck or a bus," reports Malcolm. "The last one was when a car hit a skiploader last September. This was no fault of the lorry driver."
Curtainsiders can make the accompanying unit a deathtrap in high winds, warns Butler. He pipes up: "Curtainsiders can be dangerous when the curtains are closed but the trailer's empty. In January 2002 an HGV's curtains were closed—
the wind lifted the whole lorry over the crash barrier, and down an embankment." The message, then, is to open those curtains in strong winds, when the trailer is empty or only carrying a small payload.
Trucks can also deploy what are effectively guided missiles, too. "We also had a wheel detachment on the A19, where two wheels came off a truck and travelled 150m down the road; luckily they did not hit anything," says Butler.
Thomas adds: "There was an incident last summer when a truck's tyre burst, crossed the central reservation, and then crossed both southbound lanes of the Al. Then it went over a slip road past a stationary patrol car, and hit a railway bridge." No third parties were injured, and the truck driver escaped with minor injuries. It is the responsibility of the driver, Butler points out, to check wheelnuts before he sets his truck in motion.
After an accident involving a suspected defect or a fatality, the nine men of the AIU follow a rigid procedure. The investigation begins. A theodolite is used to obtain raw data, which is then fed into a computer. Photographs are taken, skid marks recorded, kerb strikes logged and witness statements noted down. The unit's Mercedes-Benz Vito carries all the equipment.
'We have a timescale of sixty days to submit files on a fatal accident," explains Thomas. Durham Police Traffic Unit appears to be well resourced. The traffic police division alone operates BO cars and vans—the cars are BMWs, Mercedes-Benz and Volvos.
The AIU recognises that Class 1 holders are, on the whole, conscientious. PC Ian Haig, another member of the AIU, says: "Generally the standard of HGV drivers is higher than that of car drivers— they seem to have more consideration for other road users."
Contact: 'Waffle intelligence Unit On 0191 386 4929.