13/06/2026
It’s not always teenagers making poor decisions behind the wheel.
When we talk about dangerous or inappropriate behaviour on the road, younger drivers are often the first group to be blamed. no.
But this story should make all of us stop and think.
Eleven drivers were prosecuted after being caught filming the aftermath of a serious collision on the A14 while driving past the scene.
Their ages ranged from 33 to 71.
Nine were aged between 33 and 46, and six were in their forties.
These were not inexperienced teenage drivers. They were adults who had likely been driving for many years.
As parents, driving instructors and experienced motorists, we regularly remind young people to put their phones away, concentrate on the road and make responsible decisions.
But those messages mean very little if they see adults doing the opposite.
Young drivers learn from more than just their driving lessons. They notice how we behave when we are frustrated, distracted, running late or passing something unusual on the road.
They notice whether we reach for our phones.
They notice whether we show patience and consideration.
They notice whether the rules seem to apply only when it is convenient.
Filming a collision while driving is dangerous, illegal and deeply insensitive to the people involved. It also places emergency-service workers and other road users at further risk.
Experience does not automatically make someone a safe driver. Safe driving requires us to keep making responsible choices, however long we have held a licence.
Before criticising the next generation of drivers, perhaps we should ask ourselves:
What example are we setting for them?
Put the phone away. Focus on the road. Show young drivers what responsible driving really looks like.
Eleven drivers have been prosecuted in connection with filming a serious road traffic collision on the A14 last September (2025).
Shortly before 8am on September 15, a collision involving the drivers of three HGVs occurred on the westbound carriageway of the A14 between junctions 10 and 9, near Cranford.
As a result of the collision, one of the drivers was trapped in his lorry cab before being taken to hospital with a serious leg injury. The other two drivers were uninjured.
Following the collision, 11 drivers were seen filming all three emergency services at the scene on their mobile phones as they drove on the eastbound carriageway past the aftermath.
However, unbeknown to them, their details were taken, and they received notices of intended prosecution in the days which followed.
They have all now been sentenced by magistrates, and received the following sanctions:
• A 40-year-old man from Leicester received six points on his driving licence and was disqualified for six months due to the points totting up rules. He was also fined £1,054.
• A 45-year-old man from Wolverhampton received six penalty points on his driving licence and fined £662.
• A 52-year-old man from Godalming received six points on his driving licence and fined £1,054.
• A 43-year-old man from Birmingham received six points on his driving licence and fined £502.
• A 46-year-old man from Wellingborough received six points on his driving licence and fined £659.
• A 38-year-old man from Birmingham received six points on his driving licence and fined £1,134.
• A 71-year-old man from Manchester received six points on his driving licence and fined £232.
• A 46-year-old woman from Burton Latimer received six points on her driving licence and was disqualified for six months due to the points totting up rules. She was also fined £1,054.
• A 33-year-old man from Kilsby received six points on his driving licence and fined £439.
• A 36-year-old man from Leicester received six points on his driving licence and fined £744.
• A 41-year-old man from Leicester received six points on his driving licence and fined £1,266.
PC James Condon from the Force’s Roads Policing Team, said: “Filming any road traffic collision when you are driving is not only dangerous, but also highly insensitive, so I am pleased to see these people prosecuted.
“I know we live in a world where some people want to film everything and post it on social media, but drivers, or indeed their passengers, should take a moment to think about those involved in that collision, along with their family and friends.
“Ultimately though, they are committing an offence, and I hope this case demonstrates the seriousness with which we take such irresponsible behaviour and leads to them and other drivers making better decisions when passing a road traffic collision in the future.”
Tragically in 2025, 26 people never returned home safely to their loved ones following collisions in Northamptonshire and 331 required urgent medical assistance for serious or life-changing injuries.
Anyone with information about road safety concerns or any vehicle crime is asked to report it online at https://orlo.uk/3LP5l or call Northamptonshire Police on 101.
Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Always call 999 in the event of an emergency, such as a crime in progress or where life is at risk.
