Man disqualified from driving after M25 incident

A man from Cheshunt has been disqualified from driving after a dangerous incident on the M25.

Jack Doolan, aged 22, from Temple Close, appeared at St Albans Crown Court on Monday (2 October).

At an earlier hearing, Doolan had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and failing to stop following the incident which took place on 20 December, 2022.

On Monday, he was disqualified from driving for two years and sentenced to a community order for 12 months in which he must undertake 200 hours of unpaid work. He must also complete 10 RAR days (rehabilitation activity requirement) and pay £250 in costs.

At around 7.50pm on 20 December, Doolan was driving his Ford Mondeo between junctions 21 and 21a on the outside lane.

Despite having a space saver tyre, which have a recommended speed limit of below 50mph, Doolan was driving more than 75mph.

He undertook another vehicle before cutting back in, braking and swerving across to the opposite side of the carriageway, colliding with a Ford Fiesta on the inside lane.

Doolan continued to lose control and veered back across the carriageway before colliding with the concrete central barrier.

He then failed to stop at the scene before he was arrested by officers.

Chief Inspector Stephen O’Keeffe, from the Road Policing Unit, said: “This incident was completely preventable by driving within the conditions of the road environment and vehicle capability.

“Space saver tyres are only designed to get you to a safe location, at slower speeds, to get the tyre replaced only.

“It was a miracle that no-one was seriously hurt as a result of Doolan’s dangerous and reckless behaviour.”

A space saver is a compact spare wheel that is a smaller and lighter than a traditional spare tyre, according to the RAC.

While they are designed to save space and reduce weight, when compared to a full-size replacement wheel, they have a lower speed limit which is typically below 50mph.

If you see a vehicle being driven dangerously, or in a dangerous condition, please call 999, when safe to do so.

Or you can upload dash cam footage on the Herts Police website.

Video footage of the incident can be viewed on the Herts Police YouTube channel (opens in a new window).