South Holland District Council is urging motorists to be vigilant and patient around their waste collection vehicles and operatives, after one worker was caught on camera narrowly escaping injury after a car mounted the pavement.
The incident, which took place on West Parade in Spalding in November, was caught on the lorry’s mounted camera and shows the motorist attempt to overtake the collection vehicle by accelerating onto the pavement, forcing the council worker to take evasive action to avoid a collision.
Footage and details of the event were referred to Lincolnshire Police, and the operative was left shaken but uninjured by the incident, but South Holland District Council is keen to make clear how much worse things could have been and to ask for their employees to be given due time and consideration when going about their work.
This point is particularly pertinent at this time of year, when weather in the winter months can naturally reduce visibility and safety, along with the darker mornings and evenings when a lot of roadside work still takes place.
Incidents of driving recklessly on the pavement, also known as DROPs, are a common issue for waste collectors, with one study suggesting that workers experience up to 30,000 incidents of dangerous driving on pavements every month across the United Kingdom.
Coun Roger Gambba-Jones, South Holland District Council portfolio holder for place, said: “Incidents like this are sadly too common an occurrence for our waste collection operatives and many others across the country.
“We hope this video will raise public awareness of this potentially life threatening behaviour and the need for greater patience and consideration from all road users when any of our staff are working along the highway.
“This could easily have been much worse and resulted in a serious and life changing injury. Even a minor injury can mean a whole crew is taken off of the road for hours or the rest of the day.
“An even worse outcome can have long-term traumatic results for the rest of the crew and other work colleagues. All this can significantly impact our routes, stretch resources and greatly increase the likelihood of collections being missed.
“I would urge drivers to take care, especially around refuse vehicles but also more generally; don’t make risky and illegal manoeuvres, clear your windscreen properly in cold weather, don’t drive too quickly and always pay attention to your surroundings.
“Our waste collection teams do an excellent job, often in extreme weather and poor light, clearing our waste and recycling five days a week.
“Please give them the respect that they deserve.
“The actions of these drivers put the lives of our workers, of pedestrians and of other road users at risk and is never acceptable.
“We will always seek to prosecute those who behave in this way.”
