A delivery driver who was caught driving with his foot on the dashboard whilst on a facetime call was one of the many drivers caught by officers conducting Op Tramline checks earlier this month.
During the first week of December officers from the Road Crime Unit took part in Op Tramline – a national roads policing operation using an unmarked heavy goods vehicle.
Provided by National Highways, the HGV tractor unit is used by police forces across the country to carry out patrols across strategic road networks targeting HGV drivers and commercial vehicles.
The elevated position of the HGV cab allows trained officers to easily see what drivers are doing and offences are captured and recorded on camera. Once suspected offences are identified, officers from the Roads Crime Unit intercept the identified vehicle and stop drivers at the roadside or they are brought into a checkpoint to be spoken to.
Sergeant Danny Rees of the Roads Crime Unit said: “Over 50 offences were identified by officers, including drivers using their mobile phones, insecure loads and seatbelt offences.
“Unbelievably a delivery driver in a box van was returning home and was reported to be ‘distracted’ whilst on Rhuallt Hill. When officers got alongside him, they saw he had his right foot up on the dashboard (clearly in cruise control) with his mobile phone in one hand engaged in a facetime call with someone, all whilst not wearing his seatbelt. This behaviour is reckless and wholly unacceptable.
“Without the use of the HGV cab we would not have been able to see into his van, which demonstrates the benefits of having the HGV for our use.
“We also arrested a man who was driving a commercial vehicle on suspicion of drug driving after he was stopped on the A483 – initially due to not wearing a seatbelt. He tested positive for cannabis at the roadside and was arrested and later released under investigation pending the results of further tests.
“Road safety continues to be a priority for North Wales Police, and the number of offences detected during this operation highlights the importance of this type of proactive road safety initiative.
“Using a mobile phone and failing to wear a seatbelt are just two of the ‘Fatal 5’ – the five most common causes of death and serious injuries on our roads, yet these were the most common offences detected during this operation. Choosing to commit a fatal five offence means the driver is not only putting themselves at risk, but also other innocent road users.
“Op Tramline is just one of the many education and enforcement tactics we use to make our roads safer. Road safety is a shared responsibility, so we will continue to work with our partners to educate motorists and try and reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads.
“Once again, we’d like to thank National Highways for their cooperation and assistance with the loan of this vehicle. We will continue to run this operation to detect and deter those who choose to drive in this manner. Please heed the warning.”
The 57 offences identified included:
- 31 x drivers caught not wearing their seat belts
- 17 x drivers using a mobile phone whilst driving
- 2 x speeding
- 2 x insecure loads
- 2 number plate offences
- 2 x careless driving
- 1 x driving under the influence of drugs arrest
