A lorry driver who admitted careless driving after he ploughed into a stationary police car with such force it had to be scrapped has been given nine penalty points.
David Boca, 62, was also fined £733 after he appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court following the incident in June this year.
The court heard how three roads policing officers attended a broken down BMW on the London bound carriageway of the A13 between the Stanford-Le-Hope interchange and the Orsett Cock roundabout.
They placed their car in a ‘fend off’ position in lane one with emergency lights activated, around 35 metres from the breakdown while they spoke to the occupants of the vehicle.
Within minutes, a loud bang was heard, and officers turned round to find their police marked, Vauxhall Astra car had been struck by Boca’s HGV.
The impact had pushed the police car across the carriageway coming to rest at the central reservation barrier, now facing the oncoming traffic.
Essex Police’s head of roads policing, Adam Pipe, said: “Thankfully, no one was injured that day. It doesn’t bear thinking about if someone had been struck by the lorry instead of the car.
“Roads policing officers’ role is to ensure the safety of the roads in Essex, identify offenders who break the law and who drive in a manner that threatens the safety of others.
“This collision was completely avoidable,” he added.
“A police car was positioned as both a warning and a means of creating a safety barrier between moving traffic and the breakdown, so as to prevent an incident.
“Drivers who don’t follow instructions or remain unaware of their surroundings risk putting everyone, including, themselves in danger too.”
