Highways England to deploy three HGV cabs to tackle unsafe driving

Highways England (HE) and Dawson Rentals have entered a partnership to deploy three unmarked HGV cabs that will patrol motorways and main trunk roads after one was used by Police to help catch over 4,000 dangerous drivers in its first two years. The vehicles come with wide angle cameras which are designed with the intention of capturing unsafe driving behaviour. These cabs allow police officers to film evidence of dangerous driving by pulling up alongside vehicles, whose drivers are then pulled over by
February 13, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

Highways England (HE) and Dawson Rentals have entered a partnership to deploy three unmarked HGV cabs that will patrol motorways and main trunk roads after one was used by Police to help catch over 4,000 dangerous drivers in its first two years. The vehicles come with wide angle cameras which are designed with the intention of capturing unsafe driving behaviour.

These cabs allow police officers to film evidence of dangerous driving by pulling up alongside vehicles, whose drivers are then pulled over by police cars following behind.

28 police forces have taken part in the HGV cab safety initiative since it began in April 2015, and have pulled over 4,176 drivers in relation to 5,039 offenses. In addition, nearly two thirds of drivers who were stopped were illegally using a mobile phone while driving. 

The vehicles are equipped with a derestricted speed limiter, enabling officers to travel at speeds up to the national limit as well as flashing lights which can be used in an emergency. 

Richard Leonard, HE’s head of road safety, said: “We’ve found that the vast majority of drivers are sensible behind the wheel but a few have got into bad habits, or are simply ignoring the law and putting themselves and others at risk. We’ve therefore decided to fund two extra unmarked HGV cabs to continue to target dangerous driving on England’s motorways and major A roads, improving safety for everyone.”

Urban Traffic Control Enforcement

Related Content

  • In-vehicle systems as enforcement enablers?
    January 30, 2012
    From an enforcement perspective at least, Toyota's recent recalls over problems with accelerator pedal assemblies had a positive outcome in that for the first time a major motor manufacturer outside of the US acknowledged publicly what many have known or suspected for quite a while: that the capability exists within certain car companies to extract data from a vehicle onboard unit which can be used to help ascertain, if not prove outright, just what was happening in the vital seconds up to an accident or cr
    Read More
  • A streetcar named...reliable
    June 27, 2018
    When Atlanta’s streetcar project had some issues, Siemens helped to solve them – but started out by just listening, says Chris Maynard, the company’s head of rail services. It’s funny how often niggling problems can be a warning sign that there are bigger issues requiring attention – and not so funny how things can escalate if you don’t pay attention to them. With that in mind, Siemens was hired as service provider for the Atlanta Streetcar system - four vehicles operating on a two-mile loop in downtown
    Read More
  • Pupil power used in uncompromising school zone speeding initiative
    January 31, 2012
    In a unique and hard-hitting speed reduction initiative, primary schoolchildren across Carmarthenshire, in Wales, have been targeting drivers who drive too fast near their schools.
    Read More
  • ‘Eating and drinking while driving almost as dangerous as using a mobile device’
    June 13, 2014
    According to new data released by driver safety solutions company Lytx Europe, eating or drinking while driving is nearly as dangerous as using a mobile device – whether handheld or hands-free - and greatly increases a driver’s risk of being in or causing a collision. Lytx (formerly DriveCam) found that drivers who eat and drink while driving are 3.6 times more likely to be involved in a collision than those who do not due to the distraction this causes. This is almost as high as the collisions resultin
    Read More

Highlighted Content