Road policing safety operation stopped over one hundred vehicles
Over one hundred vehicles were stopped as part of a Police Scotland five-week long road policing initiative to combat careless driving.
During Operation Tramline, which was carried out between Tuesday 26, April, to Thursday, 26, May,2022 a total of 78 cars, 44 LGVs and two motorcycles were stopped by officers using an unmarked HGV cab
The HGV cab was deployed on dual carriageways and motorways in Fife, in and around Edinburgh, and in the Forth Valley area.
As a result 138 offences were detected. Of these 58% (80) related to mobile phone offences, 14.5% (20) to seat belt offences, 4.3% (6) to careless or inconsiderate driving and 23.2% (32) to other road traffic offences. (Please note some drivers committed more than one offence)|
These included a 23-year-old woman seen driving in lane two of the M90 Queensferry Crossing eating cereal from a bowl as she drove southbound. She was fined £100 and had three points added to her licence.
On the Edinburgh City bypass a HGV driver was found to be using both hands on his mobile and steering with his forearms, clearly not in control of his vehicle. He received a £200 fine and six penalty points.
On the M90, southbound a 37-year-old woman was given a £100 fine and three penalty points for driving while using her laptop.
Road policing officer Tom Aitken (pictured below) said: “Keeping all road users safe is a top priority for Police Scotland and Operation Tramline was set up to help us to reduce the number of road casualties we see on a day to day basis.
“I cannot emphasize enough that drivers should be in control of their vehicle at all time. Eating your breakfast or using a mobile phone or laptop is clearly a major distraction.
“A split second lapse in concentration could result in a crash which can cause serious injury and even death. I would urge all road users to be aware and to stay safe. Road crashes can cause devastation for all those involved.
“The HGV is just one tool we can use to make Scotland’s roads safer and it will be used across Scotland as part of our ongoing work going forward.”
