130 drivers caught in Suffolk crackdown using HGV 'supercab'
One lorry driver had so much rubbish in his cab it was dangerous
Police in Suffolk stopped 130 vehicles and uncovered an equal number of offences during a week long roads policing operation.
The operation involved using an HGV tractor unit to patrol Suffolk’s major roads from March 10th to March 13th. Officer used the extra height of the unit to detect various offences, covering the A14, A12, and A11.
A variety of vehicles were stopped, including 57 HGVs, 36 light goods vehicles, 34 cars, and a single taxi. Police issued 128 Traffic Offence Reports.
Among the offences, 50 drivers were found without seat belts, 27 were caught using mobile phones, and 17 committed roadworthiness violations. Other detected infractions included speeding, insecure loads, and lack of proper control.
Dangerous Driving Detected
Some drivers were found engaging in particularly hazardous behaviours including:
-An HGV driver caught scrolling through TikTok making no attempt to look where he was going
- An HGV driver who had so much rubbish in his cab it was dangerous, as items could have fallen under the pedals
-An HGV driver caught rolling a cigarette with two hands and so not in control of the steering wheel
-A van driver who had both hands off the wheel with a burger in one hand and sauce in the other, which he was putting into the burger.
Decrease in Offences Compared to Five Years Ago
PC Wayne Sturman indicated that offences have decreased by over 50% compared to five years ago:
"Despite far too many drivers continuing to take unnecessary risks, one positive we can take away from this recent operation is that the number of offences detected has fallen by over 50% compared to five years ago.
"Last week we detected on average just over 30 offences each day, whereas five years ago we were detecting around 75 per day.
“However, despite this the majority of offences that were detected were very dangerous – 27 drivers using phones (including being on video calls), 50 not wearing seatbelts and 15 not being in proper control – recklessness such as this should not be trivialised and can cause collisions that result in death or serious injuries."
National Highways supplied the HGV unit free of charge to aid the police in their enforcement efforts, detecting offences from all road users.