Police Intensify Road Safety Enforcement Using Covert Lorry

Law enforcement personnel, operating discreetly from an unmarked heavy goods vehicle (HGV) while patrolling a motorway, have observed motorists engaging in unsafe practices such as driving without seatbelts, using mobile phones, and even exercising with dumbbells while operating their vehicles. Officers from Wiltshire Police are deploying this HGV on the M4 motorway with the objective of identifying drivers who are committing any of the five fatal driving offences. Upon gathering sufficient evidence, the officers communicate with a following convoy of marked police vehicles, which then proceeds to safely stop the offending driver. On Tuesday, during a recent operation, Special Constable Bill Kingsmill described Operation Tramline as a “strong deterrent”. He further stated, “It is there for their [motorists] safety. “It’s not a pleasant experience for people like ourselves that have to deal with the aftermath if somebody hasn’t taken the simple precaution of wearing their seatbelt.”” National Highways, the organization responsible for supplying the unmarked HGV cab, has been working in partnership with law enforcement agencies nationwide to address commercial vehicles operated in a dangerous manner. Wiltshire Police utilizes this covert lorry cab eight times annually and has reported previous observations of individuals with dumbbells installed in their lorries and watching films. According to Sgt Neil Bott of Wiltshire’s Roads Policing Team, the most frequently encountered infraction is the failure to wear a seatbelt. He commented, “While some of the offences may seem insignificant, they are being committed by people controlling vehicles weighing several tonnes, when a momentary lapse in concentration could result in a fatal collision.” “Operation Tramline sends a strong message to those individuals – you are not invisible from the height of your HGV cab, and you will face prosecution if you are caught breaking the law.”