Hundreds of selfish, careless drivers who pose a risk to innocent road users have been caught for various offences by roads policing officers.

Officers issued over 200 Traffic Offence Reports (TORs) to drivers for not wearing a seatbelt, driving whilst using their mobile phone and driving without due care, after officers took to greater heights to view inside the cabs of HGVs, LGVs and cars.

After being successful in securing the National Highways unmarked tractor cab, officers carried out a four-day operation (13-16 June) on the motorway network; M1, M18 and A1 as part of the national seatbelt campaign, raising awareness of the dangers of not wearing your seatbelt.

You are twice as likely to lose your life in a collision if you have chosen not to wear a seatbelt.

Roads Policing Acting Sergeant Rod McEnery leading the operation, said: “We take part in this operation at every opportunity and this time coincided with the national campaign for seatbelts.

“The unmarked tractor cab gives us a great vantage point to see inside vehicles of a greater height and those below us. The cab is also unmarked, so drivers are not aware of our presence.

“During our four-day operation, we stopped over 190 drivers of HGVs. This was not us targeting drivers of HGV’s this was us reacting to the law being broken.

“Unfortunately, as traffic officers we see the devastating consequences of collisions, and the effect they have on victims’ loved ones. All vehicles can have a fatal and devastating impact in a collision, but larger vehicles can cause greater significant damage due to their size and weight, and it’s important that the drivers of these vehicles do not overlook this, for their safety and that of others.

“Thankfully most people now put their seatbelt on as a force of habit and wouldn’t dream of driving without one, but a small percentage of drivers and passengers decide not to, and those driving bigger, powerful vehicles tend to think they’re less at risk and fail to wear their seatbelt.

“It’s simple, no matter what vehicle you drive, whether you’re a driver or a passenger, a seatbelt can save your life.”

During the operation, 212 drivers were stopped, 87 were found to not be wearing their seatbelt, 22 were using their mobile phone behind the wheel, 12 were not in proper control of their vehicle and seven were driving without due care.

The law states that anyone aged 14 or over is responsible for their own seatbelt. It falls to the driver to make sure that children aged 13 or under are in an appropriate car seat or wearing a seatbelt.

If you are caught without a seatbelt or driving with children who are not wearing a seatbelt, you will be given a £100 on-the-spot fine. This could increase to £500 if the case goes to court.

APS McEnery added: “We are passionate about creating safer roads, we want drivers to take responsibility for each other and reduce the risks of collisions.

“It’s simple, belt up, put your phone down, don’t drive if you have had drink or drugs, and give the road your full attention.”

For more information on child seats or exemptions please visit: https://sysrp.co.uk/seatbelts