POLICE caught out 66 motorists committing offences on Warwickshire’s major routes in just three days.
Warwickshire Police officers took National Highways’ Operation Tramline supercab out on the A46, M40, M42, M6 and M69 to observe driver behaviours in cars, vans and lorries.
The truck’s elevated position allows officers to see what drivers and passengers are doing, and record any offences on camera.
They spotted nine speeding drivers, 25 drivers using their mobile phone behind the wheel, and 16 drivers or passengers not wearing a seatbelt.
Eight drivers were caught not in proper control of their vehicle, and two were driving without due care and attention.
Six drivers were stopped for criminal offences including driving without insurance and for driving a cloned vehicle, with three cars seized.
It was part of a crackdown on the ‘Fatal 4’ – drink or drug driving, speeding, using a mobile phone, and not wearing a seatbelt – the four biggest factors that contribute to people being killed or seriously injured on UK roads.
Insp Wayne Boulton said: “The statistics are tragically clear; undertaking any of these fatal four behaviours takes thousands of lives each year and seriously impacts many more.
“We all have a part to play in making our roads safer, choosing to make good decisions and encouraging our friends and family to do the same.
“Working collaboratively with National Highways in this way helps us to maximise our enforcement capability and educate people on the risks of the fatal four, aiming to change driver mindsets so we can make these offences socially unacceptable. One individual’s actions can have a huge impact. It is selfish, it is criminal, and it will not be tolerated.”
National Highways Assistant Regional Road Safety Co-ordinator, Marie Biddulph, added: “This year marks the 10th anniversary of Operation Tramline and our goal is still to persuade motorists to think carefully about their driving behaviours and to make our roads safer.
“These results show just how valuable our HGV cabs continue to be in helping to spot unsafe driving behaviours such as not wearing a seatbelt or using a mobile phone behind the wheel which we know can have serious consequences.
“Road safety is a shared responsibility – it can’t be achieved in isolation. That is why we work so closely with our police partners on projects such as Operation Tramline, as well as with road users to help us collectively achieve our long-term ambition of no-one being hurt on our roads.”
