The motoring world can be full of some hilarious and unusual moments. It seems like the UK is often the place that we hear about them the most, with one particular incident from the UK police taking place on a motorway, involving a van driver.
Motorways in the country often see drivers hogging the second and middle lanes, where drivers often go quicker than those in the lane on the far left, the first lane. While the speed limit is 70mph in all lanes, drivers in the first lane often drive at 60- 65 mph, and the other lanes are for overtaking.
One police car found this out recently, as Thames Valley Police (TVP) officers were travelling along the M40 motorway in Buckinghamshire, and found their path obstructed by an unaware van driver. The officers were heading to an emergency, so they needed the van out of the way.
Not wanting to perform a dangerous overtake on the van, they resorted to an interesting tactic. The officers noticed the business phone number on the van, so they decided to give the driver a call and let them know of their presence. Thus followed one of the most amusing moments you may ever see on a UK road.
What Actually Happened on the M40 Motorway?
Video of the incident has been shared by the TVP on Facebook, as well as news outlets like the BBC, The Independent, and so on. The officers were heading towards an emergency with the blue lights and sirens going, so those in front of them would know to get out of the way. However, the pesky van driver seemingly didn’t notice them.
Despite flashing the lights and having the sirens going, the van didn’t move. Ideally, the officers would be in the faster outside lane of the M40. They wanted to avoid undertaking the van dangerously, which, while not illegal on a motorway, is highly advised against in the Highway Code due to its risky nature. So, what do you do in a situation like that when you have to get somewhere in a hurry?
The officers spotted the phone number for the business on the van. So, they decided to give it a ring, and sure enough, it got through to the driver of the van. “Don’t flash him, just give him a call,” one of the officers said in the video. “Hello mate, it’s the police, are you on the M40?” the other asked after he rang up. “Yes,” said the van driver, before the officer responded, “We’ve been trying to get past you flashing the blue lights,” responded the officer.
The Van Driver Quickly Got Out of the Way
An expletive was followed by the van driver, who was incredibly apologetic about the incident. “Sorry, sorry,” he could be heard saying over the phone. “Nice one, mate, thanks for that, just on our way to an emergency,” said the officer, and it was all taken in good nature by the van driver and the TVP officers. After they hung up, they were able to laugh about the incident.
The incident occurred on June 24th 2026. Following this, the TVP Road Policing Facebook page said it was a “good reminder” for drivers on a motorway to move over when it is safe to do so. “We would rather not have to give you a call,” said the post. No harm was done, and the officers were able to carry on as normal.