A lorry driver on the M1 motorway was pulled over and fined after being spotted with his mobile phone blocking his view of the road.
He was one of 16 HGV drivers dealt with by officers last week using an unmarked lorry of their own.
The elevated viewing position offered from the lorry cab allowed officers to see a range of offences they may otherwise not have been able to see, including mobile phone, seatbelt and other driving offences.
More than 90 other motorists were also pulled over between Monday and Friday (13–17 July) during regular Op Tramline patrols.
A total of 38 drivers were dealt with for using mobile phones at the wheel, each receiving a £200 fine and six points on their licence.
Sergeant Jim Carrington, of the Roads Policing Unit, said:
“Mobile phone use at the wheel is a significant cause of serious and fatal collisions on our roads, especially when committed by HGV drivers.
“Because of the sheer size and weight of their vehicles, these people have a particular responsibility to remain focused on the road at all times.
“In the case of the gentleman with the phone in the middle of his eyeline, he would have had a completely obscured view of vehicles at certain distances, particularly motorcyclists.
“The drivers using mobile phones at the wheel, meanwhile, are now each counting the cost of putting other road users in danger for the sake of sending or receiving a message.
“I have had the misfortune to attend several fatal collisions caused by drivers who were on their phones at the time.
“These tragedies are impossible for emergency workers like me to forget, but they each remind us of the importance of catching and dealing with drivers taking similar risks on the roads.”
