Undercover police HGV catches Nottinghamshire drivers using mobile phones

Drivers-No-Seatbelts-Notts-Police
PC Brian Avann, a Tactical Roads Policing Team Officer, with an unmarked lorry similar to the one used in the operation.

More than 20 drivers were caught in Nottinghamshire either using mobile phones at the wheel or not wearing seat belts by an undercover police HGV.

Police officers patrolled the M1 corridors in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire over three days last week, alongside other roads across the East Midlands.

Officers used an unmarked HGV cab provided by Highways England to get a clear view of drivers breaking the law.

After pulling alongside offenders, the driver notified marked and unmarked police cars by radio, telling officers who to pull over.

The new HGV is one of three new cabs paid for by Highways England which will be used by police forces. The cabs, which enable officers to be in a more elevated position, patrol motorways and major A roads.

The full results for the East Midlands Operational Support Service operation, which ran between 30 January 2018 and 1 February 2018, were:

  • Tuesday 30 January (M69 and A5 Leicester) – 34 vehicles stopped including five insurance offences and two mobile phone offences.
  • Wednesday 31 January (M1 and M69 Northamptonshire and Leicestershire) – 28 vehicles stopped including 18 seat belt offences, five mobile phone offences and four offences of not being in control of the vehicle.
  • Thursday 1 February (M1 Nottingham) – 26 vehicles stopped including 14 seat belt offences and seven mobile phone offences

Sergeant Steve Warren, who was part of the operation said: “We’ve been running operations like this for a number of years as part of Operation Tramline – a national project supported by Highways England.

“This new HGV cab allows officers to be in a better position to see what other drivers are doing at the wheel.

“Being in a more elevated position means officers now have an even clearer view of unsafe driver behaviour, whether it’s people using a hand-held phone or devices while driving or even watching videos while driving.

“It’s disappointing that drivers are still willing to put their own and others’ safety at risk by not fully concentrating on the road and we will continue to target people committing offences which can cause serious and potentially fatal consequences on our region’s roads.

“Being distracted by looking at your phone for a matter of seconds while you’re driving can have catastrophic and life-changing consequences.

“It’s not just the tougher penalties which can see you lose your licence, but the everlasting guilt if you cause a fatal crash by not focusing on the road.

“We need to remind drivers that their actions not only impact on them but also their family, the victims and their families.”

Richard Leonard, Highways England’s Head of Road Safety, added: “We’ve been impressed with the impact it’s had on improving safety. Over 4,000 dangerous drivers have been pulled over, with police action ranging from verbal warnings to prosecutions.

“We’ve found that the vast majority of drivers are sensible behind the wheel but a few have got into bad habits, or are simply ignoring the law and putting themselves and others at risk.

“We’ve therefore decided to fund two extra unmarked HGV cabs to continue to target dangerous driving on England’s motorways and major A roads, improving safety for everyone.”

Last year, the Government doubled the penalty for drivers caught using their phones at the wheel. Motorists now receive six points on their licence and a £200 fine – up from the previous three points and £100 fine.

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