Anger as Amazon driver who almost rammed van off road will NOT face prosecution
THE driver of a van which was nearly rammed off the road by an Amazon lorry says he is furious the man behind the wheel will not be prosecuted.
Adrian Kowalski was left fearing for his life when the lorry driver tried to run him off the road in a shocking incident on November 18 last year.
The incident, caught on dashcam by a vehicle behind, happened near the M1 at Barlborough, near Bolsover. Footage shows the 44-tonne HGV forcing the 52-year-old van driver to take evasive action to avoid crashing.
Amazon later confirmed the driver had been sacked while Derbyshire police investigated. However, Mr Kowalski, from Burton, says he has been left “gobsmacked” after learning the driver will not be prosecuted but has been offered a place on a driving course instead. On Wednesday, Mr Kowalski said he thought the decision not to prosecute was “unduly lenient” in offering the driver a spot on a £180 Safe and Considerate Driving course.
In a letter to Mr Kowalski, Derbyshire police admitted there was enough evidence to justify a prosecution but court action would do nothing “to correct poor habits.”
Mr Kowalski said: “You get a worse punishment for doing 36mph in a 30 zone than when you try and ram someone off the road in a 40-tonne vehicle. It wasn’t an accident.
“Road rage used to be treated quite seriously and now it just doesn’t. A half-day course seems very light and lenient.
“I received the letter last week and I thought it would be asking me to come to court. It was a bit of a shock, to be honest. I’ve got 14 days to reply if I think there are any mitigating circumstances, so I’ve made a few notes and I’m deciding what to reply. I am definitely going to reply as that’s too lenient.
“He tried to run me off the road and chase me down – and was even on the wrong side of the road. A fine and points would be better than this.
“I think in America it is classed as attempted murder. I don’t know what the sentence options here are but this seems to be so mild.
“This whole incident has made me wary and I never had a dashcam before this happened. I’m a lot more cautious when I come to junctions – and it’s not just about Amazon lorries either.
“I’ve driven for 35 years and never seen anyone in a lorry driving like that .”
The letter says the driver will be offered the educational course, which he will have to pay for, before completing a practical driver assessment to a satisfactory level. He will only face prosecution if he refuses to attend or is involved in a similar incident within three years.
A Derbyshire police spokesperson said: “Following an investigation into the incident the driver of the lorry was offered a safe and considerate driving course.
“Derbyshire Constabulary participates in the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme – which seeks to improve the education of drivers who have committed driving offences.
“Courses are offered to drivers who have committed offences that, after a review, are deemed eligible based on a strict set of national criteria.
“Should the course not be undertaken by a certain date then the matter will be taken to court where a range of further sanctions can be imposed.”