Police using unmarked lorry cabs to catch drivers using mobile phones
Police are using lorry cabs to catch drivers using their phones behind the wheel.
The unmarked specialist tractor unit, one of three in the country, accompanies patrols to spot distracted drivers from above or alongside them, in HGVs.
Operation Tramline, which is carried out by forces across the country in partnership with National Highways[1], has stopped more than 42,500 vehicles since its launch in 2015.
Technology within the cab reads surrounding registration plates at a rapid pace, determining whether a car’s insurance, tax records and MOT certificate are up to date.
A team can pull over anywhere between 12 and 20 drivers over an eight-hour shift.
On Wednesday, The Telegraph joined officers [2]on two shifts lasting around 90 minutes each.
George Barrow, a builder, was one of more than 30 motorists who was stopped by Dorset Police officers last week for using his mobile at the wheel.
Mr Barrow was pulled over when officers spotted him on the A348 in Bournemouth, holding his phone as he drove without a seatbelt.
A team can pull over between 12 and 20 drivers over an eight-hour shift
Credit: ©Russell Sach/©Russell Sach
After giving his details to officers, Mr Barrow confirmed it was the first time he had been stopped for driving with his phone in his hand.
“I was looking at Google maps and just carrying it in my hand,” he told The Telegraph.
Mr Barrow said he would consider buying a phone holder for his van and said that his working life was “busy at the moment”.
And when asked whether he thought it was “good thing” that police were cracking down on motorists who use mobiles at the wheel, he agreed.
“Yeah, for sure,” he said. “You know, we all do it don’t we[3], come on? I’ve been caught, it is what it is”
Trials of special cameras[4], which use AI to identify illegal phone use as well as motorists who are not wearing seatbelts, were underway with 10 police forces earlier this year – ahead of an expected national rollout.
Exclusive research shared by the RAC suggested more than three-quarters of all drivers (77 per cent) would like to see the cameras rolled out nationally.
Heavy penalties
Over two years from January 2021, Dorset Police alone issued 517 fixed penalty notices to motorists who were caught using a mobile phone while driving.
Motorists caught holding and using a phone, sat nav, tablet or any device that can send and receive data can be hit with six penalty points and a £200 fine[5].
New drivers who have passed their test within the last two years can also lose their licences.
The actual offence committed is when a vehicle is being driven “in a position which does not give proper control or a full view of the road and traffic ahead.”
These offences can result in drivers receiving three penalty points, if they do not have “full view of the road and traffic ahead or proper control of the vehicle”.
Motorists caught committing these offences could even be banned from driving[6] or hit with a maximum fine of £1,000 for cars and £2,500 for HGVs if their cases are taken to court.
References
- ^ partnership with National Highways (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ joined officers (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ we all do it don’t we (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Trials of special cameras (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ six penalty points and a £200 fine (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ even be banned from driving (www.telegraph.co.uk)