Undercover HGV police operation finds scores of people not wearing seatbelt or using their phone

By Chris Young
Published 20th Apr 2023, 08:02 BST
A police operation that sees undercover officers travel in an unmarked HGV uncovered 80 danger drivers in a few days West Yorkshire.

Operation Tramline sees police hit the roads in an unmarked HGV cab. From the elevated angle they can see into other vehicles on the road, making it easier to see if drivers are on their phones or not wearing a seatbelt.

The last week of action from West Yorkshire Police, which ran from March 20 to 24, led to 37 drivers being caught for seatbelt offences, 21 for using a phone while driving, and eight cases where police felt the driver was “not in control of the vehicle.”

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The operation also uncovered 14 safety specific offences such as insecure loads, unsafe vehicles and drivers who were working over their permitted hours.

The operation is one of several road safety schemes that will be discussed at a meeting of the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel on Friday.