Britons are being prosecuted every way for driving in the wrong direction on the motorway as police forces issue an urgent warning to road users.
Research shows that 31 motorists in the past 30 weeks were charged with criminal offences, including driving in the wrong direction on the motorway in England and Wales.
Offences featured reckless driving, reversing along the carriageway, performing U-turns next to high-speed traffic, and even driving backwards.
PA reported that convictions usually resulted in fines worth hundreds of pounds, court fees and driving bans in some instances.
National Highways data from July showed that there had been 947 incidents involving “oncoming vehicles” across England’s motorways in the 12 months to May 11.
The transport organisation stated that the total figure could include unconfirmed reports, adding that every report is treated “seriously and acted on quickly”.
One instance saw Innocent Ayodele caught driving the wrong way up an entry slip road on the M61 near Manchester.
The 32-year-old NHS worker apologised to a court in May, adding that he was trying to escape a traffic jam by driving up the slip road.
Motorists are prosecuted every week on Britain’s roads for driving in the wrong direction
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GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE
Greater Manchester Police’s PC Peter Weatherstone asked Mr Ayodele “what he was playing at” by driving the wrong way, the court heard.
In a statement, he wrote: “I could see another driver at the side of another vehicle whom he could have struck.
“I pointed out the dangers of such behaviour, but the driver seemed totally blatant in his necessary to do this simply because he had finished worked and wanted to get home.”
He is due to be sentenced at a late, in which he could face a driving ban as he already has nine penalty points on his licence.
Five people were killed in an accident on the M9 in Ireland after travelling the wrong way down the motorway
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PA
When speaking at Preseton Magistrates’ Court, Mr Ayodele said he wanted to get home to his pregnant wife.
It follows an incident in Ireland where five people were killed in a head-on collision after their vehicle was being driven in the wrong direction on the M9.
Three women and a seven-year-old boy remain in hospital in serious condition following the crash earlier this week.
RTE News states that the five teenagers who died were Joe Carthy, Alex McCarthy, Kamil Pustkowski, Jeremy O’Brien and Jack Kennedy.
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan condemned the dangerous driving
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PA
Justin Kelly, Garda Commissioner, said the teenagers were engaging in “irresponsible and dangerous driving”.
He noted that, in some cases, the behaviour was being done for “social media likes”, adding that these actions can have serious consequences for innocent people.
Ireland’s Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan condemned the actions and pledged “whatever resources” the Garda needed from the Government to continue the investigation.
“I also want to emphasise that anyone who makes the decision to drive a vehicle deliberately the wrong way down a motorway is engaged in lethally dangerous behaviour and it must stop,” he added.