A speed camera van has been spotted parked near to the spot where the Duke of Edinburgh rolled his Land Rover in a horror crash, as the British Safety Council slams the royal for ‘setting a bad example’ after he was pictured not wearing a seat belt.
The ‘Safety Camera Team’ vehicle was parked up in a lay-by on the A149 close to the Queen’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. The brightly marked van had a speed camera pointing out of the back aimed at passing cars travelling along the 60mph stretch of road.
It appeared just days after Prince Philip, 97, escaped unhurt when his Freelander overturned after it collided with a Kia after he pulled onto the main road.
Chairman of the British Safety Council Lawrence Waterman said the threat of a fine for not buckling up, introduced as a deterrent, ‘clearly did not influence the actions of all drivers’ and blasted the Duke of Edinburgh for ‘setting a bad example’ to other road users.
The ‘Safety Camera Team’ vehicle was parked up in a layby on the A149 close to the Queen’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk
The brightly marked van had a speed camera pointing out of the back aimed at passing cars travelling along the 60mph stretch of road
Emma Fairweather, 46, a passenger in the Kia suffered a broken wrist in the smash. It was also carrying mother Ellie Townsend, 28, and her nine-month-old baby.
The crash happened a day before Norfolk councillors agreed to cut the speed limit on the A149, where there have been five deaths in the six-year period to May 2018.
In the same period, there were also 10 serious injuries and 25 slight injuries as a result of accidents.
Mr Waterman added that people in a position of public influence who ‘flout the law’ send the wrong message to other road users.
‘Before the disaster occurs, health and safety is seen as ‘a burden, a nuisance, a bureaucratic, horrible thing that I’ve got to work through’. Once the disaster has occurred, everyone says ‘someone should have done something to stop this happening’.
‘Last week’s incident, involving a senior member of the royal family, proves that point. The fine of up to £500 for not wearing a seat belt was introduced as a deterrent for reckless drivers but it clearly does not influence the behaviours of all road users.
‘People in a position of public influence who flout the law send the wrong message to the rest of us. We should not underestimate the potential human cost of such behaviour.’
Labour councillor Colleen Walker said the duke’s involvement had brought the speeding issue ‘right to the forefront’.
The crash happened a day before Norfolk councillors agreed to cut the speed limit on the A149, where there have been five deaths in the six-year period to May 2018. Pictured: The van parked in the layby
The Duke of Ediburgh was involved in a crash near the Sandringham Estate. Pictured: his overturned vehicle
The Duke of Edinburgh driving his Land Rover Freelander without a seatbelt near the Sandringham Estate two days after the crash
She told the county’s transport committee drivers would often race along the same road.
Measures to reduce the speed limit and install cameras on the road where the Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a car crash have been approved.
The Norfolk County Council’s environment, development and transport scheme will see the speed limit on the length of the A149 between Knights Hill Roundabout and Snettisham lowered from 60 to 50mph.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Land Rover rolled on this section of the road.
Shattered car parts and windscreen glass at the scene near to the Sandringham Estate today where the Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a road accident while driving
This graphic shows how the crash is likely to have unfolded, after Philip was reportedly ‘dazzled by the sun’ while pulling out of the B1439 on to the A149 near the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk
Ms Fairweather said this week that she believed the duke should face prosecution if found to be at fault.
She replied ‘absolutely’ when asked on ITV’s This Morning whether he should face legal action if he was in the wrong.
She said: ‘There needs to be a decision as to whether Prince Philip and I are from the same walk of life here or not.
His treatment hasn’t been the same as mine.’
The crash victim also branded Philip ‘highly insensitive and inconsiderate’ after he was later spotted driving while not wearing a seatbelt.
Ms Fairweather received a message from the Queen’s lady-in-waiting after the crash but has voiced her frustration at not hearing from the Duke directly.
‘I thought surely he wants to speak to me, but then somebody told me he had tried to but been told not to,’ she said.
‘I don’t think asking if someone is ok is accepting liability. A quote in the news yesterday saying he felt like a fool seemed like he was apologising to everyone else, just not to me.’
Emma Fairweather, speaking on ITV’s This Morning, also branded Philip ‘highly insensitive and inconsiderate’ after he was later spotted driving while not wearing a seatbelt
Norfolk Police are continuing their investigation into the crash, which happened on the A149 shortly before 3pm.
Philip reportedly said ‘I’m such a fool’ as he was pulled from the wrecked car by Roy Warne.
The 75-year-old said that he heard Philip telling police he had been ‘dazzled by the sun’.
Nick Freeman, the lawyer dubbed Mr Loophole, said the duke could be prosecuted for driving without due care and attention if he was deemed to have made a mistake.
But he added: ‘If the sun was so low and right in your eyes, sometimes it’s impossible to see, and that may well have been the case, and that would afford him a defence.’
The duke, who retired from public duties in 2017 but remains active, could also avoid prosecution by surrendering his licence, according to the lawyer known for representing celebrity clients like David Beckham.
Philip was pictured driving a new Land Rover without a seatbelt just 48 hours after the crash.
Police spoke to the duke about the legal requirement to wear a belt and he also underwent an eyesight test, which he passed.
Ms Fairweather has said she is considering a personal injury claim over the incident.