700 offences were detected by police officers using unmarked HGV cabs provided by National Highways
In just one week, police officers in unmarked HGV cabs provided by National Highways spotted almost 700 offences while patrolling the M1. Eight police forces traveled between Leeds and London during a week-long operation aimed at targeting unsafe driving on the motorway. They stopped 663 vehicles and discovered 691 offences, with the most common offence being not wearing a seatbelt. The police issued penalties ranging from words of advice to court summonses and arrests.
The operation was part of Operation Tramline, where police officers can spot unsafe driving behaviours from the elevated position of the HGV. National Highways provides the unmarked HGV cabs to police forces across the country. The week of action took place during the first week of March in some severe wintry weather. The police stopped several vehicles to remove snow off their roof or turn their lights on as visibility was severely reduced. The aim of the operation was to reduce the number of incidents on the M1 and encourage motorists to adopt safer driving behaviours.
National Highways Head of Road Safety, Jeremy Phillips, said:
“Hundreds of thousands of motorists travel over 21 million miles on the M1 every day – accounting for one in seven of all motorway journeys – and the vast majority are safe and legal drivers.
“But there is a minority that continue to put themselves and others at risk. It is disappointing that almost 700 offences were spotted in just one week – but thanks to Operation Freeway those drivers were prevented from continuing with their unsafe behaviours.
“Through this week of action we aim to reduce the number of incidents on the M1 and to encourage motorists to think about their driving and to adopt safer behaviours.”
Northamptonshire Police Safer Roads Operations Manager, Matt O’Connell said:
“Making sure everyone gets home safely is our top priority, and to achieve this, we need to ensure that we all use our roads both legally and responsibly.
“Commercial drivers drive thousands, if not tens of thousands, of miles each year and are sadly more likely to see the tragic consequences of poor driving standards, so it is always disappointing to still catch a small minority breaking the law.”
PC Dave Shaw, of the Derbyshire Police Roads Policing Unit, said:
“Using a HGV cab is a really useful tactic to help spot drivers who are putting other road users at risk and it’s still very disappointing to see so many drivers ignoring the law and choosing to commit offences on the roads.
“This operation shows how we continue to work in partnership with National Highways and other police forces to help improve road safety for all. We will be continuing to patrol the road network in Derbyshire and any driver found to be committing offences can expect to be given the appropriate penalty.”
Sergeant James Parmar, of West Yorkshire Police’s Roads Policing Unit, said:
“We stopped 86 drivers on West Yorkshire’s stretch of the M1 during Operation Freeway for over 90 offences. The vast majority of these drivers were driving HGV or LGV vehicles and stopped for fatal five offences.
“The reality is that the dangers of actions such as using a mobile phone while driving, not wearing a seatbelt or driving without due care or attention are potentially even more catastrophic when a larger vehicle is involved. The action that we have taken, alongside other police forces and National Highways, is all about keeping our roads safe for everyone.”
