Driver caught sipping mug of tea and taking both hands off the wheel on the M6
As a hard-working trucker he is entitled to a mug of tea. But not while driving on the M6.
The culprit was caught on film sipping his brew as he drove down the busy motorway in Cheshire. Police in an unmarked HGV pulled alongside and in footage an officer can be heard telling him to concentrate on his driving.
To the exasperation of the officer the trucker takes both hands off the steering wheel as he drives. He was later issued with a traffic offence report for not being in proper control of his vehicle which resulted in three points on his licence and a £100 fine.
The clip was released by National Highways today as a major operation was launched to stop such reckless driving on the M62.
Police in Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, the Liverpool Ports Police, West Yorkshire and Humberside will be using National Highways’ unmarked HGV cabs in a bid to reduce and prevent accidents.
The driver ended up being fined for not being in proper control of his vehicle
Operation Pennine launches on Friday and will continue throughout the month of October. Hundreds of thousands of drivers travel on the M62 every day and in 2022 there were 28,607 incidents on the M62. Of those 28,607 incidents, 1,651 were traffic collisions.
During 2022 on the M62, Merseyside police found 30 people to not be wearing a seatbelt, 59 using a mobile phone and eight people not in proper control of their vehicle. A further 140 people were found to have been speeding.
Officers in the unmarked cabs will be looking out for similar incidents of illegal driving – such as the driver in the image below who was spotted at the wheel of a lorry without his seatbelt on. From the elevated position in the HGV cab, officers can spot unsafe driving behaviour – whatever vehicle the motorist may be in.
Another driver was spotted with his mobile phone in his left hand while steering with his right hand. The most common offences across the motorway network, managed by National Highways, are not wearing a seatbelt, using a mobile phone and not being in proper control of a vehicle. Drivers face warnings, fixed penalty notices, court summons or arrest.
A motorway driver caught on film steering with one hand and using his mobile phone with the other
Lisa Scott, National Highways’ Regional Safety Programme Manager for the North West, said: “Hundreds of thousands of drivers use our roads every day and the vast majority are sensible behind the wheel. However, some drivers are putting themselves and others at risk through using mobile phones, driving without a seatbelt or even handling a boiling hot drink at the wheel.
“We are committed to reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured while travelling on our roads by 50% by 2025 and we have a long-term ambition for zero harm. To achieve that we need to tackle the unsafe driving behaviour that we sadly still encounter.
“Through this month of action we want to encourage motorists to think about their driving and to adopt safer behaviours. Those who continue to pose a risk should be aware that we are working with our police partners to make sure they are spotted and prevented from causing serious harm to themselves or others.”
As well as the HGV cab patrols, traffic officers, road safety partnerships and TyreSafe will be taking part in the month of action and will be at motorway services offering advice to drivers and carrying out tyre and vehicle checks.
Sgt Matt Picton, from the North West Commercial Vehicle Unit, said: “This operation highlights the number of drivers that are willing to risk their lives and that of others. Having a driving licence comes with great responsibility and those that abuse that will be dealt with accordingly.
“Once again, this operation shows the blatant disregard of some drivers who choose to ignore the rules of the road and we will not tolerate those who do.
“Using a mobile phone, no seat belt, speeding, poor mechanical condition, breach of drivers’ hours, overloaded etc are all things that can be eradicated from our roads if people just stop and think before they act.
“We are committed to making all roads safer and we will continue to enforce road traffic legislation daily and target those who risk the most harm to the public, who just want to go about their daily business without fear of injury or death.
“Far too many people are seriously injured or killed on Britain’s roads and we will continue our work to reduce that number.”
References
- ^ Man ‘lucky to be alive’ after scalp torn off in horror Audi crash in Ibiza (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
- ^ ‘He was only taken away from the house 45 minutes earlier and now I was being told he was dead’ (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)