National statistics tell us that in July 21% more people are killed or seriously injured on the UK road network than in any other month.  This is a scary fact.

The four biggest factors that contribute to these collisions are drink or drug driving, speeding, using a mobile phone and not wearing a seatbelt. They are known as the ‘Fatal 4’ for this reason.

So on 21 July we took the National Highways owned Operation Tramline supercab out on Warwickshire’s roads for three days to observe driver behaviours in cars, vans and lorries on the A46, M40, M42, M6 and M69.

The elevated position provided by the Op Tramline truck allows us to easily see what drivers and passengers are doing and we record any offences we spot on camera.

Once a suspected offence is identified, we intercept the driver and stop them at the roadside or bring them in to a check site so we can speak to them. 

In just three days we intercepted 60 drivers and dealt with 66 offences including:-

Nine drivers for speeding.

25 drivers for using their mobile phone behind the wheel. 

16 drivers or passengers for not wearing a seatbelt.

Eight drivers for not being in proper control of their vehicle. 

Two drivers for driving without due care and attention.

Six drivers were stopped for criminal offences including driving without insurance and for driving a cloned vehicle.  As a result we seized three cars.

We gave words of advice to 29 drivers as we will always choose to educate first with the aim of improving driving behaviour to make our roads safer.

For the more serious offences we are unable to do this and 34 drivers received Traffic Offence Reports.  

We regularly use the Op Tramline truck and so far this year we have used it to detect 73 drivers using their mobile phone behind the wheel, 31 drivers speeding and 33 drivers and passengers not wearing a seatbelt. This footage shows some of the offences detected when we had the truck in April. You can watch the video here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nWAjknXdDU8

Inspector Wayne Boulton said “The statistics are tragically clear, undertaking any of these fatal four behaviours takes thousands of lives each year and seriously impacts many more.

“We all have a part to play in making our roads safer, choosing to make good decisions and encouraging our friends and family to do the same.

“Working collaboratively with National Highways in this way helps us to maximise our enforcement capability and educate people on the risks of the fatal four, aiming to change driver mindsets so we can make these offences socially unacceptable. One individual’s actions can have a huge impact. It is selfish, it is criminal, and it will not be tolerated.”

National Highways Assistant Regional Road Safety Co-ordinator, Marie Biddulph, said “This year marks the 10^th anniversary of Operation Tramline and our goal is still to persuade motorists to think carefully about their driving behaviours and to make our roads safer. 

“These results show just how valuable our HGV cabs continue to be in helping to spot unsafe driving behaviours such as not wearing a seatbelt or using a mobile phone behind the wheel which we know can have serious consequences.

“Road safety is a shared responsibility – it can’t be achieved in isolation. That is why we work so closely with our police partners on projects such as Operation Tramline, as well as with road users to help us collectively achieve our long-term ambition of no-one being hurt on our roads.”