A van found to be carrying nearly twice its legal weight limit was among 81 vehicles stopped during a police operation on the M1.
Nottinghamshire Police’s Roads Policing Unit carried out the five-day operation from 18 May, using a specially adapted HGV cab to help officers identify offences from an elevated position.
During the operation, drivers were dealt with for a range of offences, including 23 mobile phone offences, 19 seatbelt offences and 16 cases of driving without due care.
Other offences included licence issues, speeding, driving without insurance and not being in proper control of a vehicle.
Two people were also arrested, one on suspicion of drug driving and another in connection with immigration offences.
Police said one van was stopped after officers noticed the suspension appeared to be heavily compressed. It was later weighed at six tonnes, almost twice its legal limit of three-and-a-half tonnes.
Operation Tramline is a recurring initiative which uses an HGV cab owned and operated by National Highways to allow officers to identify and record driving offences from above.
PC Mike Grant, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Roads Policing Team, said: “Ultimately, this operation is about preventing serious collisions in which people are killed or seriously injured.
“As police officers, we see all too often the catastrophic consequences of people using mobile phones at the wheel, not wearing seatbelts, or driving defective or dangerous vehicles.
“When we pull people over for these offences, it is those tragic outcomes we are seeking to prevent.
“In the case of the overweight vehicle we pulled over during this operation, the driver can consider himself fortunate that the suspension hadn’t collapsed and caused a very serious collision.”
Marie Biddulph, Midlands Regional Safety Programme Manager at National Highways, said: “The vast majority of people who use our roads do so safely and legally, but it’s always disappointing to see that some drivers continue to put themselves and others at risk.
“Using a mobile phone behind the wheel, not wearing a seatbelt or overloading a vehicle is irresponsible, and through working with police we want people to think about their driving behaviours and make sure they are travelling safely.
“Our unmarked HGVs allow officers to easily spot unsafe driving on our roads, and those who continue to flout the law should be aware they will face the consequences.”
