Unmarked HGV Uncovers Hundreds Of Offences In Police Unsafe Driving Programme

A joint programme between the Police and National Highways has caught almost 700 drivers breaking the law in just one week.

The week of action saw eight police forces travelling on the M1, Britain’s first motorway and one of its busiest routes today, on the lookout for unsafe driving.

They travelled between Leeds and London in the National Highways HGVs, which were unmarked, where they stopped a total of 663 vehicles in just one week.

Unsafe Motorway Driving

Recent studies have highlighted the problems that the UK has when it comes to driving offences, and this initiative has driven that point home.

While 663 vehicles were stopped, 691 offences were uncovered because some drivers were charged with more than one offence.

In fact, the breakdown of the offences was as follows:

• 239 people were caught not wearing a seatbelt
• 181 people were seen using a mobile phone at the wheel
• 44 drivers were ‘not in proper control’ of their vehicle
• 43 people were driving without due care and attention

There were a wide range of offences spotted and that meant a range of penalties handed out, but there were also 5 arrests and 14 court summons, showing just how serious some offences were.

The reality is that this programme has simply shown how often offences occur, particularly when drivers are unaware that they’re being monitored.

Jeremy Phillips, Head of Road Safety at National Highways, said: “Hundreds of thousands of motorists travel over 21 million miles on the M1 every day 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.”

National Highways were also keen to point out that commercial drivers contribute so many driving hours to the UK each and every week that it makes their safety standards even more crucial.

When it comes to driver safety, there is no ‘but’ – safety is non-negotiable.

Keeping Your Fleet Safe

It goes without saying that keeping your fleet safe is your number one priority.

And each and every fleet owner will have a strictly regimented process to ensure that is the case…

But driver education on the severity of offences such as using their mobile phones at the wheel and wearing their seatbelt has never been more important.

The reality is that the vast majority of the vehicles stopped during the operation were HGV or LGV drivers.

Now that might just be a reality of how many hours they are on the road but it’s also a stark warning that some drivers are still not taking safety seriously.

What do you think of the recent Police and National Highways operation? Do you think more programmes and monitoring of drivers would help road safety? Let us know in the comments below…