North Yorkshire Police's Road Safety Team have been using an unmarked HGV cab to target unsafe drivers.
North Yorkshire Police use unmarked HGV to target unsafe drivers North Yorkshire Police's dedicated Road Safety Team are using an unmarked HGV cab to help target unsafe drivers and criminality on the roads. The HGV, which is loaned to various police forces from the National Highways Agency, provides officers with a bird’s eye view of the vehicles. Two police officers patrol in the HGV cab, one is driving and the other is responsible for gathering evidence. Once an offence is identified, the HGV team use a police radio to contact officers who are following from behind to stop the vehicle in question. [caption id="attachment_103390" align="aligncenter" width="952"] North Yorkshire Police used the HGV to patrol the A1, A19 and the M62.[/caption] Operation Contact is the force's response to a national two-week operation to target the use of mobile phones at the wheel. It is one of the “fatal 5” and a significant contributory factor to many serious and fatal road traffic collisions. Drivers who use their hand-held device at the wheel are four times more likely to be in a crash. Yesterday (Thursday 7th March) police used the HGV to patrol the A1, A19 and the M62. Several offences were identified including no seatbelt, driver reading notes at the wheel, using a mobile phone when driving, a HGV overtaking in lane three and excess speed. All the drivers were reported for the offences identified. Inspector Clive Turner from North Yorkshire Police’s Roads Policing Group said:
“Various excuses were given to our officers for numerous traffic offences, and these are just not acceptable. "Road safety is everyone’s responsibility and drivers must do everything they can to ensure that they are not only keeping themselves safe but also other road users safe. “We know that the majority of drivers who use our roads every day are sensible and safe while behind the wheel, but I personally find it disappointing to see how many people simply ignore the law. “I’d also like to say a big thank you to Highways England for the use of the HGV so we can help keep motorists safe on the county’s roads.”Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.
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