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Wiltshire Police Crack Down on Distracted Driving: New Footage Highlights "Fatal Five" Offences

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Wiltshire Police officers, PC Beales and PC Hobbs, have been actively tackling the most common causes of fatal crashes on the county's roads. Their efforts have recently been captured in new footage shared by the police force, aiming to remind motorists of the dangers of the "fatal five" - drink/drug driving, driving distracted, not wearing a seat belt, driving carelessly, and speeding. The clip comes ahead of the peak road traffic collision month of July.

Key Takeaways:

  • Wiltshire Police officers PC Beales and PC Hobbs have been actively tackling the most common causes of fatal crashes on the county's roads, focusing on drink/drug driving, driving distracted, not wearing a seat belt, driving carelessly, and speeding.
  • In one incident, a driver was stopped for using his mobile phone while driving, which led to the discovery of a more serious offence - the vehicle was insured to a different person, and the policy the driver claimed to have was not valid, resulting in the vehicle being seized.
  • The officers also apprehended an HGV driver near Devizes who was holding his mobile phone while using it on loudspeaker, indicating that he was taking no notice of the road in front of him, increasing the risk of a crash.
  • Holding a mobile phone while behind the wheel of a moving vehicle can result in a penalty of six points on the driving licence and a £200 fine.
  • Exemptions to this rule include using a mobile phone in a cradle for sat nav, paying while stopped at a drive-through window with the handbrake on, or calling the emergency services.

Statistics:

  • The "fatal five" offences are responsible for a significant number of road traffic collisions on Wiltshire's roads.
  • According to Wiltshire Police,(driver distraction) is a common cause of fatal crashes on the county's roads.
  • The peak road traffic collision month in Wiltshire is July, with a significant increase in crashes during this period.
  • The new footage shared by Wiltshire Police aims to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and the consequences of offending.

Sources:

  • Swindon Advertiser, "Traffic cops in Wiltshire caught distracted drivers behaving badly on the county's roads"
  • Wiltshire Police, "New Footage Highlights 'Fatal Five' Offences"

Note: The statistics section only includes relevant numerical data mentioned in the source material.

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