The Authority oversaw Police’s investigation into a crash involving two Police cars on State Highway 1 between Puhoi and Warkworth. This section of the highway is a dual carriageway separated by a wire barrier.
On an evening in October 2024 at about 9.30pm, the drivers of both Police cars were driving north under lights and sirens to attend separate emergency incidents.
The first officer was attending a crash on the southbound lane of the highway. He slowed on the inside northbound lane in order to manoeuvre through a gap in the wire median barrier intended for emergency vehicle use in emergency situations. These gaps are created by a staggered overlapping split in the wire and cannot be navigated safely using a sharp right-hand turn. The officer had not used them before, and this section of road is poorly lit.
As the officer slowed, he realised that he did not have enough space to complete the turn. He attempted to pull over to the right as far as he could to allow traffic to pass. The driver of a second Police vehicle travelling behind him at approximately 157km/h could not stop in time and crashed into the side of the first vehicle. The first officer sustained a serious leg injury. The second officer was uninjured. Both Police vehicles were written off.
The Police investigation established that both officers’ actions met the evidential standard for careless driving. The first officer’s actions created a hazard for other traffic travelling at open road speed. He should have pulled over to the left hard shoulder and conducted the U-turn across both lanes when traffic permitted. The second officer was travelling too fast to safely stop in an emergency.
Police determined it was not in the public interest to prosecute either officer; however, both officers had breached Police’s Urgent Duty Driving policy.
The Authority is satisfied with how Police carried out the investigation and agrees with the outcome reached.
IPCA: 24-24660