John Bushby, a driver from Gist has been hailed as a HGV Hero in the Microlise Driver of The Year Awards 2020.

The Microlise Driver of the Year HGV Hero Award recognises drivers who have gone above and beyond to respond safely, professionally and with great community spirit when faced with potential human tragedy on our roads.

Bushby’s story featured on the BBC’s Caught on Camera programme, as a seasoned driver of 44 years, with 26 years of service with Gist, all his experience was called into play in March 2019 when he helped avert a major catastrophe on the M1.

Bushby was in the nearside lane behind a European left-hand-drive lorry with cruise control set. Suddenly the trailer started reacting violently and, at the same time, a large object came hurtling towards him from underneath the vehicle.

Bushby knew he couldn’t move to the left or to the right and braced himself for a collision while releasing and reapplying the brake to reduce impact.  After the crash, he immediately realised that the object that hit him was a car. He called the emergency services and waited until the passengers were freed.

Dash cam footage later revealed that the lorry in front of Bushby started to pull out into the middle lane hitting a car which was in its blind spot, causing it to spin in front of the truck, along its nearside to then be crushed by the tractor unit.

Despite injuries, the couple driving the car have recovered thanks to Bushby’s swift and controlled action. It is widely believed that his action of staying in lane and keeping his vehicle under control prevented many fatalities.

Watch John Bushby recieve his award:

Nadeem Raza, chief executive of Microlise, said: “The Microlise Driver of the Year Awards highlight drivers who act with great courage and presence of mind when faced with challenges on the road.

“Our winner clearly shows how lives can be saved through sheer bravery as well as through experience, knowledge and training.”

Phil Hoskins from City Plumbing Supplies has also been recognised as a driving hero in the Microlise Driver of The Year Awards 2020.

Drivers from Waitrose & Partners have won the Extra Mile and HGV Hero awards at the Microlise Driver of The Year Awards 2020 and Hovis won the Microlise Driver Excellence Award for 2020 after telematics data showed it had the best performing drivers.

With telematics-based categories containing an initial eligible pool of more than 210,000 drivers, and nomination-based categories receiving record entries, the 2020 winners are 'leading lights' in the industry, having triumphed after a process of rigorous data analysis, corroboration by employers and assessment by an independent judging panel, says Microlise.

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