A DRIVER has been banned after he narrowly avoided oncoming traffic during an “incredibly dangerous” manoeuvre.

The driver appeared before Northallerton Magistrates yesterday, where he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving on the A19 near Thormanby, Thirsk.

Marc Hyland from Bell Farm Avenue in York, received a 12 week prison sentence, suspended for one year and was handed a 20 month driving ban.

He was also ordered to pay £170 in costs, complete 250 hours of unpaid work and after serving his driving ban has to face an extended driving test.

This the first case to come to court as a result of a member of the public reporting through Operation Spartan’s online driver concern form.

On the 26 January 2017, Hyland was driving his Vauxhall Insignia on the A19 towards Thirsk, when he overtook dangerously. He crossed solid white lines and veered over to the other side of the road, passing stationary cars in the centre of the road which were waiting to turn.

The shocking manoeuvre was captured on the dashcam of a lorry driver, who later reported the incident via North Yorkshire Police’s online driver concern form and submitted the footage to officers at North Yorkshire Police’s Operation Spartan.

The Northern Echo:

Traffic Sergenat Zoe Billings from the Major Collision Investigation Unit said: “This is the first prosecution which is a direct result of a member of the public reporting through the online driver concern form and we are pleased with the sentence given to Hyland.

"As the footage clearly shows, his driving that day was highly irresponsible and incredibly dangerous and it’s only through sheer luck he didn’t meet any oncoming traffic. This could have ended tragically.

“This is Operation Spartan in practice – we realise that with over 6,000 miles of roads to police, officers cannot be everywhere policing every mile – but members of the public can be our eyes and ears. With their assistance, we can get dangerous drivers off the road and make our region a safer place to travel."

TS Billings thanked members of the public who had already submitted reports and footage through Operation Spartan. 

She added: "I’d also like to take the opportunity to encourage any drivers who have witnessed any driving which causes them concern, or who have captured instances like this on dashcam to report it through the online form on the North Yorkshire Police website."

Footage can be submitted directly via a file sharing service such as Dropbox or WeTransfer or by email to; OpSpartan@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk

Every report and piece of footage that is submitted is assessed by experienced traffic officers.