A driver on the M1 caused 'havoc' after running out of fuel and stopping 'dangerously' on the M1.
The incident happened over the bank holiday weekend and now the road policing unit has issued a warning to drivers about the dangers of running out of fuel.
In this case, lorries had to swerve out of the way to avoid crashing into the car, reports DerbyshireLive.
A tweet from Derbyshire Roads Policing Unit shows the moment a driver was forced to stop on lane one of the M1 southbound between Junction 29 and Tibshelf Services.
It reveals that even though the driver had an emergency can of petrol, the car failed to restart as its battery had gone flat.
While this was happening lorries were forced to swerve out of the way to avoid a major crash.
The driver received a ticket for leaving a vehicle in a dangerous position.
The tweet from Derbyshire Roads Policing Unit said: "M1. Runs out of fuel in lane one of the motorway. Tops it up with his ‘emergency can’.
"Lorries swerving to avoid him. Won’t restart as battery now flat. Towed to safety with assistance from @DerbyshireARU and @HighwaysEMIDS . Ticket for leaving vehicle in dangerous position."
The tweet attracted plenty of comments, some of which supported the driver in this case as there was no hard shoulder layby for him to stop safely.
But one Twitter user said: "If he has run out of fuel, and there is no hard shoulder (stupid idea), where is he supposed to stop?"
This prompted police to respond: "Plenty of comments as usual on issuing tickets for running out of fuel. 1. Drivers are adults who need to take responsibility for their own actions. 2. Would you pass your driving test if you ran out of fuel?"
A separate tweet added: "There must be a deterrent to putting others in danger."
According to the Motor Defence Solicitors website, drivers could be fined up to £1,000, receive three penalty points and possible disqualification from driving for leaving a vehicle in a dangerous position.
But in serious cases, where an accident has been caused, drivers could be taken to court and given a much more severe penalty.
A court can issue anyone charged with careless driving an unlimited fine and up to nine penalty points.
