Officers arrested a driver allegedly speeding at more than 100mph on the M1 in Nottinghamshire during a dedicated roads policing operation.
Nottinghamshire Police’s Roads Policing Team dealt with 46 individuals over a four-day period while running Operation Tramline on the M1 and A1.
The operation saw officers use an unmarked HGV cab, supplied by Highways England, enabling them to observe driver behaviour from an elevated position as they carried out patrols.
The HGV allows police officers to film evidence of unsafe driving behaviour by pulling alongside vehicles and then the offending drivers are pulled over by police cars following behind.
The latest operational activity took place between Monday and Thursday last week.
On Thursday officers arrested a 23-year-old man who was seen driving at over 100mph on the M1 between Junctions 26 and 27.
After he was stopped as he left J26 officers noticed a strong smell of cannabis and the driver then failed a roadside drug test for the Class B drug.
He was duly arrested on suspicion of speeding and driving a motor vehicle with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the specified limit.
He was subsequently released under investigation.
Among other offences witnessed during last week’s operation included a driver looking at an iPad with headphones on while having his feet up away from the pedals while in cruise control.
He was issued with a traffic offence report (TOR) for driving without due care and attention.
Other drivers were handed TORs or on-the-spot fines for offences including not wearing a seatbelt and lane hogging when other lanes were free.
Superintendent Claire Rukas, Head of Operational Support at Nottinghamshire Police, said: “It’s disappointing that drivers are still willing to put their own and others’ safety at risk by not fully concentrating on the road.
“We will continue to target people committing offences which can cause serious and potentially fatal consequences on our region’s roads and we will be relentless in pursuing those who think it’s acceptable to drive in a dangerous manner, whether it’s people using mobile phones or devices while at the wheel or even watching videos while driving.”
Police Constable Phil Broughton, from the force’s Roads Policing Team, added: “We run Operation Tramline five times a year which helps us to better detect and record evidence of unsafe driver behaviour.
“In the HGV cab we’re in a more elevated position which allows us to be in a better position to see what other drivers are doing at the wheel.
“Not fully concentrating on the road while you’re driving can have catastrophic and life-changing consequences.
“It’s not just the tougher penalties which can see you lose your licence, but the ever-lasting guilt if you cause a fatal crash by not focusing on the road.
“Drivers need to remember that their actions not only impact on them but also their own family as well as victims and their families.”
PHOTO: Nottinghamshire Police’s Roads Policing Team dealt with 46 individuals over a four-day period while running Operation Tramline on the M1 and A1 last week
