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A driver tailgated a Vosa vehicle after refusing to pull over on its repeated instructions. As a result, he has been ordered to do 250 hours of community service, disqualified from driving for 12 months and ordered to pay £500 prosecution costs. Peter Jackson, from County Armagh, pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving before the Mold Magistrates, but was convicted following a trial.

Traffic Examiner Jonathan Woodward said that on 28 March, he observed an artic belonging to Derry Transport  on the A55 and targeted it for a safety check.  He moved in front of the artic, and signalled to the driver via the use of the matrix system and flashing yellow lights mounted on the top of the vehicle to follow him. At the last moment the artic failed to follow and veered off taking a slip road off the highway.

He followed and using the same technique instructed the driver to follow him into a service area and stop on three further occasions without success. On two occasions the artic was extremely close to a car in front. He contacted the police for assistance and followed at a safe distance until the truck pulled into the services at Penmaenmawr.

The police arrived and ordered the driver to follow the Vosa vehicle while the police vehicle followed from behind. Throughout the journey the artic was constantly driven excessively close to the rear of his vehicle. He considered that Jackson's continued and prolonged manner of driving extremely aggressive, intimidating  and unsafe.

Woodward produced two video tapes taken from the onboard video system as evidence.Police Constable Richards said that at times the artic was between two and three feet from the bumper of the Vosa vehicle. The magistrates directed that Jackson take an extended retest at the end of his disqualification.

The magistrates are masters of understatement

The magistrates considered that the standard of driving fell far below what would be expected of a careful and competent driver.