Man Clings to Roof of Moving Car Near Hinckley — Driver Gets Birthday Warning from Police

A man was spotted clinging to the roof of a moving car in the Leicestershire village of Elmesthorpe last weekend — and the driver, whose birthday fell the following day, ended up having an uncomfortable conversation with police and his parents instead of a celebration.

The Incident on Burbage Common Road

The episode unfolded on Burbage Common Road in Elmesthorpe, a quiet village in the Blaby district of Leicestershire, near Hinckley. A member of the public spotted a man clinging to the roof of a black Volkswagen Polo as it drove through the village and reported it to Leicestershire Police, providing evidence of what they had seen.

Officers identified the driver through the Police National Computer and paid a visit — not to the driver directly, but to their parents. The driver, it turned out, was celebrating their birthday the following day. The timing did not soften what was described as “an interesting conversation”.

Police issued a formal Section 59 warning to the driver and the vehicle. Leicestershire Police shared details of the incident on social media on Sunday 12 April, titling the post “Roof Seats Sold Separately?” The force described the Polo as having been “seen to be driving anti-socially” — with the roof passenger providing what officers referred to as “an extra adrenaline rush”.

“Driver identified via Police National Database,” officers wrote, “followed by a visit to parents for an interesting conversation, only to find it was the driver’s birthday the following day. Section 59 issued to driver and vehicle.”

Anyone following anti-social driving incidents in this part of Leicestershire will know this is not an isolated pattern — our earlier report on a Hinckley incident illustrates the kind of reckless behaviour that keeps local officers busy.

What Is a Section 59 Warning — and What Happens Next?

A Section 59 warning is issued under the Police Reform Act 2002 and gives officers the power to act when a vehicle is being driven in a manner causing, or likely to cause, alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public. It is not a conviction or a fine — but it is a formal marker. If the same driver is caught driving anti-socially again within the following 12 months, the vehicle can be seized. That marker sits on the Police National Computer and can be referenced by officers in any subsequent encounter.

The Section 59 also applies to the vehicle itself — meaning a different driver using the same car within that 12-month window could also trigger a seizure if they drive anti-socially.

The Bit That Isn’t Funny

It is a funny story. Police clearly intended it to be: “Roof Seats Sold Separately” is a decent line, the birthday timing is beautifully awkward, and there is something deeply relatable about the image of a teenager having to explain themselves to their parents with an officer in the room. We are allowed to laugh at this one.

But here is the part that is worth sitting with for a moment: car surfing kills people. It is not an urban myth or an overreaction. US health authorities have documented at least 58 fatalities from car surfing since 1990, and neurological research published in medical literature has noted a steady rise in car-surfing fatalities since 2000, with the rise closely tracking the spread of media depictions of the activity. Head and spinal injuries are the most common outcomes when it goes wrong. At any speed above a walking pace, a person on the roof of a moving car is one bump, one sudden brake, or one pothole away from a life-changing injury — or worse.

Burbage Common Road is not a motorway. But it does not need to be. A car travelling at 30mph hitting its brakes suddenly would send a person on its roof into the tarmac at enough force to be catastrophic. The member of the public who reported this incident made exactly the right call.

There is also a question worth raising about the Section 59 as a response. It is a warning. The driver was not summonsed to court, did not receive points on their licence, and was not fined. Their birthday weekend was presumably only mildly disrupted. For a stunt that could have killed someone — either the roof rider, another road user, or a pedestrian — the formal consequence is relatively light. That is not a criticism of the officers involved, who were working within the powers available to them. But it is worth understanding that a Section 59, on its own, is a deterrent rather than a punishment.

What does provide some comfort is that a member of the public saw something obviously dangerous and reported it immediately, with evidence. That is exactly how community road safety is supposed to work — and it is the reason this particular driver is now sitting with a marker on the PNC rather than having got clean away with it.

We will keep covering anti-social driving incidents across Leicestershire. If you see something dangerous on local roads, reporting it to Leicestershire Police is always the right move.

Have Your Say

Have you seen dangerous or anti-social driving near Hinckley, Elmesthorpe or Burbage? Let us know in the comments — and if you want to stay across local news from across Leicestershire, sign up for our free updates below.