Highways England has announced plans to fund three unmarked HGV cabs after police forces used one to help catch over 4,000 dangerous drivers in two years.
The three new cabs will patrol roads on Highways England’s network, and have been fitted with wide-angle cameras to capture unsafe driving behaviour. Drivers are then pulled over by police cars following behind.
They have derestricted speed limiters, which means they can travel at speeds up to the national speed limit, and flashing lights have been installed for use by police forces in an emergency.
Richard Leonard, Highways England’s head of road safety, said: ‘Highways England has been funding a single cab for the past couple of years and we’ve been impressed with the impact it’s had on improving safety. Over 4,000 dangerous drivers have been pulled over, with police action ranging from verbal warnings to prosecutions.
‘We’ve therefore decided to fund two extra unmarked HGV cabs to continue to target dangerous driving on England’s motorways and major A roads, improving safety for everyone.’
In total, 28 police forces have taken part in the HGV cab safety initiative since it began in April 2015, pulling over 4,176 drivers in relation to 5,039 offences.
Nearly two thirds of the drivers who were stopped were illegally using a mobile phone while driving.
Other offences included a driver who was found to have sent 10 texts within one hour, another driver who was seen trying to put toothpaste on a toothbrush, and a man who was spotted steering with his knees while he ate his lunch and used his mobile phone.
