DCC Adam Briggs ... leading the operationNORTH YORKSHIRE cops have warned road users the county's police are now operating a new get-tough policy against irresponsible road users, by launching a hard-hitting enforcement campaign aimed squarely at cutting the "totally unacceptable" death rate and injury across the county.
Intensive police action will target dangerous, careless and irresponsible road users, and officers warn they will take firm, decisive action against offenders. Visitors to the county should be aware that the tough policy applies right across the county's 6,000 miles of roads.
Expert analysis has highlighted 39 stretches of road with poor accident records, but Deputy Chief Constable Adam Briggs warns: "It is not roads that cause accidents - it is drivers and riders. We will be concentrating resources on those 39 identified routes and we will act positively against anyone we see endangering other road users."
Mr Briggs is leading Operation Helical, at least eight weeks of co-ordinated action involving the emergency services and other partner organisations.
He said: "50 people have died on North Yorkshire's roads this year and that is totally unacceptable. The vast majority of those deaths are due to someone's error or irresponsibility and I am making it very clear right now that North Yorkshire Police will not tolerate this. It is madness that so many people's lives are affected by the actions of so few people. Up to 100 people can be affected by every fatal collision, beginning with family, and spreading out through friends, colleagues and acquaintances.
So as well as normal police duties, North Yorkshire Police officers will -
- Operate extra road safety patrols. Marked and plain cars and motorcycles will check the county's roads, concentrating particularly on the 39 high-risk routes. North Yorkshire County Council is contributing substantially to the cost of this extra work.
- Fast-track "extreme speeders" to court within days of their being caught. Drivers and riders who break any speed limit by 30mph can lose their licences in just a week
- Deploy Autovision. This gives irrefutable evidence of speeding individuals and which can be deployed on any road at any time. Autovision records the speed and registration number of passing vehicles - together with a picture of the driver's face.
- Use the Automatic Number Plate Recognition system to read and check the numbers of passing vehicles. Computers instantly check whether each vehicle is taxed or insured and its owner has a driving licence; the vehicles may be seized.
- Operate a series of targeted campaigns against specific offences which can lead to accidents. These include using a hand-held phone while driving, and crossing double white lines. Drivers and passengers not wearing seatbelts are also a priority target, as are those who drive after drinking or using drugs. North Yorkshire Police are fully supporting the national Summer Drink and Drug Driving campaign, launched yesterday, and Mr Briggs reminded road users that not only will there be surprise stop checks, but it is this force's policy to breath-test every driver and rider involved in an accident.
As well as all these actions by North Yorkshire Police, Operation Helical will also involve swoops on untaxed vehicles, checks for unsafe tyres or overweight commercial vehicles, flashing roadside signs to warn speeders, and much more.
