Dashcam footage shows shocking near misses on A1 in Northumberland
Dashcam footage from the A1 in Northumberland shows a string of terrifying near misses on the road in recent months.
The videos were all taken by the same driver, who has asked to remain anonymous.
There have been a number of fatal crashes on the A1 in the county this year.
Bamburgh councillor Guy Renner-Thompson said: “These are just further examples of why we need investment in the A1. Each one of these could have been someone killed.
“We never used to have dashcams, now there’s a lot of footage. We have the evidence – previously it was only if there’s an actual accident.
“The A1 needs to be dualled and the junctions on the old bits of dual carriageway need to be sorted out.”
It comes after 22-year-old Erin Bennett was killed in a three-vehicle collision near Felton last weekend.
Berwick’s Coun Isabel Hunter added: “I see near misses on a regular basis going down that road. People get stuck behind and overtake because they get frustrated.
“People pull out at junctions because they see a line of traffic and try and nip in. Some of the junctions are far from fantastic and you have people taking short cuts through villages and trying to drive back on.
“You feel sorry for larger vehicles that have to sit in the middle of the road when trying to cross. I hate sitting in the middle of that road if I have to cross it.
“In a car, you can’t always see from the junctions – they aren’t up to standard. There’s no lead-in or slip roads, you can’t get up to speed.
“It’s more and more, I see it just about daily. There is driver fault, but we have a poor network of roads.
“The Government have to do something. We’ve seen that poor young girl lose her life last week – there’s too many.
“We have to do something now. Not in five years, we need something now, we need safety.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has asked ministers and officials to explore “alternative ways” of funding the A1 dualling scheme. Since a scheme to dual 13 miles of the route between Morpeth and Ellingham was scrapped in 2024, the Government has committed to carrying out junction improvements on known accident blackspots.
A scheme has been announced for the Guyzance junction, with a focus on safety improvements on the southbound carriageway.