Local councilor refusing to accept a road is dangerous as cars crash behind him is comic masterpiece

Road safety is a universal concern. Not only does it call for responsible driving but also demands efficient management methods. Over the years, governments have claimed to be working on enhancing the quality of roads. However, the results haven't been great. A 1988 footage of a local councilor named Davidson defending the road safety mark of the A19 road in Teesside was recently shared on the ITN Archives YouTube channel. The comic masterpiece ended in a hilarious irony when just after Davidson’s defending statement, a car crashed behind him on the camera.

The clip was shot when safety barriers were being installed in the Teesside area between County Durham and North Yorkshire. This stretch of road, near Peterlee, had been labeled the most dangerous in Britain. While the cameraman described the road as notoriously unsafe, councilor Davidson defended it, saying, “I will not accept that it’s a highly dangerous road,” he said. "The road, obviously, like other roads, gives cause for concern when accidents do occur."

However, Mr. Davidson had barely stopped speaking when a minor crash occurred behind him, and the camera captured his bewildered eye-roll. A pastel blue Lada Riva estate car slammed on its brakes. Before Davidson could grasp the irony, two more cars slammed on their brakes, and a third car collided with the one in the middle.

The hilarious video received over 300k views with loads of comments comparing it to a comedy sketch. @TimSlee1 commented, "This looks like a Monty Python sketch, the comedic timing is too perfect." Some users even commented about the absurdity of the video, pointing out how the blue car did the right thing. @Normee commented, "I've seen this clip before and only just realized the blue car was doing the right thing by swerving to avoid rear-ending a stopped car on the road." @greenrobot5 hilariously pointed out, "When he thought the blue car driving up the grass was the bad thing to happen that day."

The ironic clip was also uploaded on X and the viewers took to the comments section to voice their opinions. Some blamed the road for being dangerous. "I lived about a mile from where that was filmed. There were regular crashes on that stretch as it was a very fast road but with slow vehicles pulling out of badly lit junctions from the villages and farm lanes," commented @duncanbew. 

Others hilariously blamed media cameras for distracting the drivers. "What were they doing holding a discussion in the middle of a live motorway? It was bound to cause a distraction to drivers." wrote @AndrwMaskell.

In October 2023, it was reported by the Northern Echo, that the A19 northbound was closed, following a multi-vehicle collision and car crash. Recently, it was reported by Teesside Live that the A19 northbound was again closed just before the Norton turn-off after a vehicle overturned and spilled its load. The Cleveland Police urged the drivers to avoid the area and find an alternative route where possible.