Latest news with #roadpolicing
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Uninsured vehicles seized in South West police operation
A joint road policing operation involving three forces from across the South West has seized more than 10 uninsured vehicles through number plate recognition. Officers from Devon and Cornwall, Avon and Somerset, and Hampshire Police forces took part in the operation on Friday, to coincide with the busiest day of travel into region. Thirteen uninsured vehicles were seized and people were also stopped for other crimes including speeding, mobile phone offences and fuel James Gallienne, from Devon and Cornwall Police, said the operation was important as "at least one person every day" is seriously injured by an uninsured or hit and run driver." He added: "Operations like this aim to educate about and enforce the law in order to reduce the number of uninsured drivers on the road and reduce collisions."Devon and Cornwall remain safe places to live and visit and we will continue to be proactive in keeping our road network safe." 'Linked criminal activities' The three police forces worked alongside the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) using Automatic Number Plate Recognition to monitor interchanges on the A30, A38 and A380 to identify uninsured vehicles."Every 20 minutes, someone is falling victim to an uninsured or hit-and-run driver, with one person so seriously injured that they require life-long care," the MIB said. "Removing uninsured vehicles from the road helps protect all road users from potential harm."Additionally, uninsured drivers are frequently linked to other criminal activities, including drug or drink driving, excessive speeding, and organised crime such as drug running."Roads policing inspector Matt Boiles, from Avon and Somerset Police, added: "We typically see a significant rise in traffic volumes at the start of the summer holidays as people travel to and through our region. "By targeting uninsured vehicles, we're aiming to reduce risk to all road users during one of the busiest times of year."The MIB said many of the drivers of the seized vehicles were knowingly uninsured but urged all drivers to check their insurance status
BBC News
02-07-2025
- BBC News
More 20mph speed cameras should be requested, police panel told
Councillors have been urged to request more fixed speeding cameras to crack down on drivers exceeding the 20mph (32km/h) North Wales Police and Crime Panel heard of drivers caught going up to 83mph (133kph) in 20mph zones, with the "top five" fixed-camera locations in north Wales all in force faces challenges enforcing the limit due to drivers and holidaymakers crossing the border where the 30mph default limit still applies, the panel was panel chairwoman Patricia Astbury called for councillors to request more cameras, North Wales Police Supt Simon Barrasford told the meeting the devices could be funded by the Welsh government. In a presentation on road policing, Supt Barrasford briefed the panel on speeding figures since the 20mph default speed limit was introduced in Wales in September 2023."Any local authority can liaise with Welsh government for funding and put static cameras in," he the meeting, Ms Astbury called on some councillors to ask their authorities for more speed cameras."Maybe some of the elected members need to go away and think about having some fixed cameras… I'm certainly going to ask elected members for one on my road," she said. The panel heard all of the top five fixed-camera locations in north Wales were in Flintshire: at the A5104 in Pontybodkin, the A548 in Oakenholt, the B5129 in Pentre, the A5119 on Northop Road, Sychdyn, and the A550 on Gladstone Barrasford also briefed the panel on the Welsh government-funded Operation Ugain, a campaign to offer drivers exceeding the 20mph speed limit safety advice rather than penalty revealed 126,640 vehicles had passed a Ugain team, 2,840 of which were stopped due to exceeding the 20mph speed limit, and 2,826 had engaged with the advice.A total of 14 drivers were given a traffic offence report or a court summons. Supt Barrasford said the highest speed recorded at a fixed-camera site was 83mph at Mynydd Isa, with the driver receiving a six-month disqualification, substantial fines and highest speed within a 20mph zone recorded by a speed camera van was on Russell Road, Rhyl, in Denbighshire where a vehicle was travelling 51mph (82kph) "at 11am in the morning on a very busy road", he community speed-watch camera caught a driver going 61mph (98kph) in a 20mph zone. The top five non-fixed speed-camera locations in north Wales were Glan y Mor Road to Marine Drive in Penrhyn Bay in Conwy, the A525 Trefnant in Denbighshire, the A548 Russell Road in Rhyl, Denbighshire, the A494 in Bala, Gwynedd, and the A5025 in Amlwch Road, Benllech, Wales Police said the introduction of the 20mph default speed limit had resulted in a notable downwards trend of Barrasford said a 12-month comparison between before and after the legislation change saw serious injuries down by 19.4% and slight injuries drop by 43.9%. Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman said collisions happened for reasons other than speed, including the age of drivers involved and defective also noted that some tourists and visitors from England did not adhere to the speed limit. This article was written by a trusted journalist and then edited for length and style with the help of AI, before being checked again by a BBC Journalist. It's part of a pilot.
BBC News
29-06-2025
- BBC News
Cyclist found in Grosmore with life threatening injuries
A cyclist was airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries after being found in a small Police said a man - believed to be aged in his 60s - was found in Preston Road at the junction of Wain Wood Lane in Grosmore, Hitchin, at about 10:00 BST on Sunday. Sgt Luke Jenkins, from the road policing unit, said: "We are trying to establish how the cyclist received his injuries. We are keen to speak to any drivers or road users who saw the man or who may have some dash cam footage of what happened."Police said the junction was closed in the afternoon. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
12-06-2025
- BBC News
Girl, 17, killed in crash involving car and lorry near Bathgate
A 17-year-old girl has died following a crash involving a car and a lorry at a roundabout in West teenager was as passenger in the car which crashed at Boghead Roundabout near Bathgate at about 23:50 on Monday. She was pronounced dead at the scene.A 20-year-old man, who was driving the Volkswagen Polo, and an 18-year-old woman were taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh with serious lorry driver was uninjured and has been arrested and charged in connection with road traffic offences. The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner is reviewing the circumstances around the crash, Police Scotland Ben Legge, of the road policing unit, said an investigation was under added: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the young girl who died."I would ask anyone who may have witnessed the crash, or who may have dash-cam footage, and has not yet spoken to or provided this information to officers, to contact us as soon as possible."
BBC News
12-06-2025
- BBC News
Slough man stopped by police had no licence for 44 years
A man who was stopped by police for using cloned registration plates had not held a driving licence for 44 years, police have Valley Police's road policing unit from Taplow stopped the man in Slough, seizing the Citroën he had been driver, who was also from Slough, was reported to court, the force said.A spokesperson said: "Driving with cloned plates or without a license is illegal and undermines road safety. "These actions can lead to serious consequences such as fines, vehicle seizures and prosecutions."We urge everyone to follow the law and drive responsibly."Car cloning involves people stealing or copying another car's registration plates, often choosing plates from a similar looking vehicle.A BBC investigation uncovered a surge in car cloning, leading to thousands of fines such as penalty charge notices being the 44-year span without a licence in this case, the BBC has previously reported on incidents where drivers have not held a licence for 50, 52, and even 70 years. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
