Police are taking the roads in unmarked HGVs in order to catch unsuspecting motorists committing driving offences – some of which are simply bizarre…
Bizarre Driver Behaviour
Officers from Sussex Police and Surrey Police have been taking to motorways behind the wheels of unmarked HGVs. Why? Because the vantage points they provide make them ideal for catching out unsuspecting motorists committing driving offences. The vehicles, provided by Highways England, exposed officers to some truly shocking and frankly bizarre behaviours; many of which were exceptionally dangerous.
Over nine days, 300 offences committed by 285 drivers were recorded. Some 23 Fixed Penalty Notices were handed out, 155 Traffic Offence Reports were made and 104 ‘words of advice’ issued. Drivers were found to be applying makeup whilst in the fourth lane, watching videos on their phones and using their elbows in order to steer their vehicles.
Putting Lives at Risk
Chief Inspector Michael Hodder, head of the joint Surrey and Sussex Roads Policing Unit, commented on the HGV operations. He said, “using unmarked vehicles including the Highways England HGV cab allows us to catch those putting not only their own lives at risk, but also those around them”. Sussex and Surrey Police’s Roads Policing Unit intends to carry on with the operations; with six officers having now acquired HGV driving licenses.
Sergeant Kellie-Anne Harris, of the newly formed Commercial Vehicle Unit, has described HGVs as being ‘incredibly useful’. She explained, “the higher vantage point the HGV cab gives us is incredibly useful when it comes to looking down at what drivers are up to in their vehicles which might otherwise be obscured at ground level”. She added, “along with 65 uses of a mobile phone, 43 seatbelt offences and 25 speed offences, we saw some truly staggering things like someone using their elbows to steer, a man watching music videos and a woman doing her makeup in lane four of the M25″.
Needless to say, it’s never a good idea to apply makeup whilst beyond the wheel. Or, for that matter, is it sensible to attempt to steer with one’s elbows. Here’s hoping the new police initiatives will go some way in clamping down on these more ‘colourful’ offences.
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