A driver was recorded on a dashboard camera colliding with no other vehicles around shortly after a nationwide test emergency alert was sent to mobile phones. Freelance photographer Phil Taylor, aged 64, was driving on a 50mph dual carriageway in Bolton when the vehicle in front of him suddenly swerved and crashed into the opposite lane. The emergency alert test had just notified him on his mobile phone at approximately 3 pm, mere moments before the collision occurred.
Video footage from the dashboard camera shows the driver making a sharp left turn, then over-correcting, spinning 180 degrees, and ending up on the other side of the road. Before the emergency alert test, Edmund King, the president of the AA, had advised drivers to maintain composure and concentrate on driving when the alert was received.
Drivers were cautioned about the consequences of using a handheld device while driving, including a potential £200 fine and six penalty points. Following the accident, Phil stopped to check on the occupants of the vehicle, who had managed to exit the car despite the damage.
The complete emergency alert message sent on Sunday stated that it was a test of Emergency Alerts, a UK government service designed to warn individuals of nearby life-threatening emergencies. The alert was accompanied by a loud, siren-like sound on mobile phones, regardless of their silent mode. Since the inception of the Emergency Alerts system in April 2023, five real alerts have been issued.
One of the most extensive uses of the system occurred during Storm Éowyn in January 2025, when around 4.5 million people in Scotland and Northern Ireland were contacted after a red weather warning was issued.