AN UNLUCKY driver who handed over his dashcam crash footage to police has himself been slapped with a £170 fine.
Gary Gallagher, 44, wrote off his BMW 3 Series after crashing into the back of a white van on the A1 on June 25.
His video shows the van in front of him suddenly slamming into another vehicle, causing Gary to crash into the pile up.
Following the accident, he voluntarily handed over his dashcam footage to police to help with their investigation.
But after reviewing the clips, police brought the Northumberland driver in for questioning as they deemed he was driving too close to the van.
He was then forced to pay £170 for a road safety course in order to avoid prosecution.
If prosecuted Gary could have been hit with a £100 fine and three penalty points on his licence.
In more serious cases though, tailgating can result in a driving ban or even a prison sentence.
Gary, who shared footage of the crash on Facebook, said: "A case of always expect the unexpected and predict the amount of traction you are gonna get when you try to put your brake pedal through the floor on a wet oily road.
"I failed massively when this van hit a stationary car. Think I must have got down to 12mph by the time I made contact.
"My car is beyond economical repair. It only needs a few parts but with it being a BMW, it costs too much for the insurer to pay out. I’m devastated.
"I got interviewed under caution by the police on Sunday about the accident and I have been told I am to go on a course which will cost me £170.
"This is instead of any kind of prosecution for careless driving. I don’t know if it’s going to be taken through the courts or not. But basically, this has ended my week fantastically."
Luckily there were no serious injuries in the collision.
Last month, another shocking dash cam revealed the dangers of trying to overtake on a country road.
Luas share shock footage of collisions and near misses as part of new tram safety appealncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErKynZpOke7a3jqamraeiqHx6gJFuam9rX5m%2FqsLEq2ShmZ6ZwG671Z6pZpyRqLVur8CmZJyqkai1brLOqKuan5ViwbB5z6ijopuVYq6nwMSrZKGho2Kwor6Moqpmr6KewbWxzWamn55dl8K1ecaeq6xllp67prCMam5pZZmjwLWxwJ1m