Crackdown on safe driving and vehicles

A group of partner agencies known as the CRASH group launched an operation to improve road safety by stopping and checking vehicles in South Cumbria last week.

The CRASH group is made up of officers from South Cumbria's Roads Policing Unit, Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service and VOSA, who work together with the aim of reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on the county's roads.

On Friday 26th March the group set up the stop checks in Barrow in Furness. The focus of the operation was to engage with young drivers in the Hindpool and Barrow Island areas, to ensure that vehicles were roadworthy and being driven safely.

Drivers were dealt with for for the following offences:

7 prohibitions for lighting offences,

1 for speeding,

1 defective tyre,

1 for no MOT,

2 unecessary use of fog lights,

1 for no seatbelt,

1 for failing to notify DVLA of a vehicle alteration and

2 for possession of cannabis

 

Drivers were then given an opportunity to view road safety education videos. The theme of the educational input was on the dangers of using mobile phones and texting while driving.

Inspector Richard Vernon of South Cumbria's Roads Policing Unit said: "Reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on Cumbria's roads is a priority for police and patrner agencies. We work together in the CRASH group to tackle the problem. We look at road design and study the causes of collisions so that we can then improve road safety and target motorists with information we hope will make them think and, ultimately, save lives.

"Many young people buy older, smaller vehicles which, by there very nature are more susceptible to damage in a collision. This makes it even more important to ensure they are in good condition and safe to use.

"By conducting these stop checks we hope to encourage people to take better care of their vehicles, and remind motorists that we will not hesitate to take action if they are not following the rules of the road.

"Vehicle maintenance is only part of the equation, and it is essential that we all drive considerately and look out for fellow road users.

"Anecdotal evidence suggests that people continue to drive while using a mobile phone, so we used this operation as an opportunity to show a hard-hitting video that shows the consequences of being distracted at the wheel. The majority of young people we spoke to were supportive of our aims."