A HAMPSHIRE police officer has dedicated an award he received to a Hook man who died in a crash tragedy on the A30.

Sergeant Rob Heard won the ACPO and Police Federation Outstanding Contribution to Roads Policing Award 2014 for supporting older drivers and their families.

He started the forum in 2013, two years after the death of Neil Colquhoun, who died on the A30 near Old Basing on March 11, 2011.

His car was hit by another driven the wrong way on a dual carriageway by an 89-year-old former GP who was blind in one eye and below the legal eyesight limit in the other.

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The former GP, who thought he was fit to drive, was given a suspended sentence in August 2012 after admitting causing death by careless driving.

Sgt Heard said: “I feel greatly honoured to have received this award. It feels a bit like winning an Oscar in the roads policing world.

“I would like to dedicate this award to Neil Colquhoun (pictured below) and his mother Patricia, who were the inspiration behind the creation of the forum.

Basingstoke Gazette:

“From that, we came up with the idea of the forum, and we hope by doing so we can prevent another tragedy like this. We are not talking about taking people off the road – we are about trying to help people keep their independence and carry on driving safely, for longer.”

Around 150 people attended a roadshow on road safety in Festival Place after the launch of the forum, and its website has received more than 20,000 hits.

Sgt Heard, who has worked in the roads policing unit at Hampshire Constabulary for 22 years, received the award at a ceremony last Thursday.

Chief Constable Andy Marsh said: “I am very proud of the work Rob has done in helping to keep older drivers stay on the road, safely.

“At some stage, we ourselves will be older drivers, and most of us know older drivers now. This forum and its website are a fantastic resource to help inform and reassure.”