Commercial vehicles targeted on M4 during day three of national road safety campaign

Commercial vehicles were the focus for officers on day three of Project EDWARD in Wiltshire yesterday.

The Roads Policing Unit, alongside their normal daily duties, have been targeting different locations and vehicles over the past three days and yesterday they were based on the M4.

The activity is being held in support of the national road safety campaign Project EDWARD (Every Day Without A Road Death), with the aim to make roads safer with enforcement and education activities.

Throughout yesterday, officers stopped and dealt with the following:

• £900 worth of tachograph offences from heavy goods vehicles
• Two defectives tyres on a HGV
• One driver of a HGV caught using a mobile phone
• £800 worth of overloaded vehicle fines issued
• One vehicle prohibited for being grossly overloaded
• Two vehicles issued direction notices to proceed at reduced speeds due to being slightly overloaded

One driver of a HGV was also found to be driving whilst the tachograph on the vehicle was recording rest for the driver. Following enquiries carried out by the officers at the scene it is suspected that a device has been installed to the vehicle to deceive the tachograph and the vehicle remains under investigation with assistance from partner agency staff at DVSA. The investigation remains ongoing.

Sgt Will Ayres said: “Tachographs are designed to ensure road safety and prevent fatigue – they are absolutely crucial to ensure the safety of drivers of these heavy goods vehicles, as well as the safety of other road users, so incidents like this are very concerning. We will continue to work closely with partner agencies to investigate the vehicle involved.

“Today was a really positive day and I am confident that our actions today helped ensure safer roads for drivers in our county. I would urge drivers of these large vehicles to think carefully about their actions before getting behind the wheel of a lorry – the road requires your full attention at all times and it is simply not worth taking any risks.”