Response & Pursuit Driving

Driving Levels

Police driving authority levels and the associated training.

The Speed-Limit Exemption — RTRA 1984 s.87

Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 s.87 exempts the driver of a fire and rescue, ambulance or police vehicle from the statutory speed limits where observing the limit would be likely to hinder the use of the vehicle for the purposes for which it is being used on that occasion. The trigger is the likelihood of hindrance to the police purpose — the exemption is not switched on simply by activating blue lights or sirens, and having blue lights or sirens on does not by itself establish the exemption applies.

The exemption removes only the statutory speed limit. It does not exempt the officer from the standard-of-driving offences — dangerous driving and careless driving remain fully in force for a police vehicle being driven under the exemption.

The Standard You Are Judged By

Since 26 October 2022, Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 s.5 (amending RTA 1988 s.2A) and s.6 (amending RTA 1988 s.3ZA) set a specific comparator for a designated person — including a constable — who drives in a manner that meets the specified criteria (broadly, driving for police purposes while having undertaken prescribed training) at the time of the driving.

Dangerous driving (RTA 1988 s.2A): the way a designated person drives is dangerous if it falls far below what would be expected of a competent and careful constable who has undertaken the same prescribed training, and it would be obvious to such a competent and careful trained constable that driving in that way would be dangerous.

Careless driving (RTA 1988 s.3ZA): the way a designated person drives is careless (without due care and attention) if it falls below what would be expected of a competent and careful constable who has undertaken the same prescribed training.

Before this change, a police driver was compared to the ordinary competent and careful driver. That is no longer the applicable statutory standard for a qualifying constable's driving — the comparator is now a trained constable, not an ordinary member of the public. The underlying principle that officers are not above the law and must still drive with due care survives (historically illustrated by DPP v Harris [1995]), but the current legal standard, and the one you are actually judged against, is the trained-constable comparator in s.2A/s.3ZA — not the ordinary-driver standard.

RTA 1988 s.1 (causing death by dangerous driving) applies to officers in the same way as any other driver. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 s.86 raised the maximum penalty for causing death by dangerous driving to life imprisonment, in force from 28 June 2022. Officers have been convicted of dangerous driving, including causing death by dangerous driving, arising from pursuits.

Emergency Response Principles

Critical — apply before and throughout any blue-light response.

• Only use blue lights and sirens when responding to a genuine emergency
• Risk assessment: is the speed proportionate to the emergency?
• Consider road conditions, traffic density, time of day and pedestrians throughout the response
• Remember the speed-limit exemption (RTRA 1984 s.87) does not exempt you from dangerous or careless driving offences
• Officers have been convicted of causing death by dangerous driving during pursuits

TPAC (Tactical Pursuit and Containment) Overview

TPAC is operational doctrine set out in College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice on roads policing, not a statutory power — the points below are policy and tactics, not legislation.

TPAC Overview

• Pre-planned: coordinated vehicle stops using trained drivers
• Spontaneous: pursuit management with tactical options
• Stinger deployment: tyre deflation devices
• Boxing: surrounding the target vehicle at low speed
• Decision to pursue must be authorised by a supervisor
• Abort criteria: risk to the public outweighs the benefit of apprehension

Officer Responsibilities

• Complete a dynamic risk assessment before and during a pursuit
• Communicate with the control room throughout
• Follow pursuit policy — if told to abort, ABORT
• Complete the pursuit log / use-of-force form after every pursuit
• Attend the post-incident debrief
• Report any vehicle damage immediately
• If involved in a collision during a pursuit, treat it as a critical incident

Practical Tips

• Know your driving authority level — don't exceed it
• Practice commentary driving (narrate hazards aloud)
• Maintain vehicle checks before every shift
• Your licence is your livelihood — protect it