Northamptonshire Police’s road safety campaign focuses on insecure and unsafe loads

Officers from Northamptonshire Police’s road policing teams have been out in force this week (October 12-16) to clampdown on insecure and unsafe loads in a bid to improve road safety.

The week-long operation is part of the Force’s Operation Journey campaign, which aims to reduce the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on the county’s road networks.

Officers from the Safer Roads Team, Serious Collision Investigation Unit and the Special Constabulary, were supported by DVSA and HMRC Road Fuel at the static check sites set up across the county.

As part of the operation, vehicles were intercepted by both marked and unmarked police vehicles and escorted to the check sites where officers looked for load issues as well as checked fuel, tax, insurance, tyres and the vehicle’s general condition.

PC Dave Lee from Northamptonshire Police’s Safer Roads Team said: “Drivers who do not secure their loads properly are not only putting themselves at risk, but also the safety of others.

“Insecure and unsafe loads can shift causing injury to drivers, or fall into the road causing injury to other roads users or pedestrians. This operation is not just about enforcement, it is about improving road safety by changing driver behaviour.

“We are asking all drivers carrying heavy loads to ensure they are secured before setting off and to check they remain secure during the journey at regular intervals. Road safety is all of our responsibilities.

“Over the next three months, Operation Journey will focus on different aspects of road safety each week, but the overall aim will remain the same, which is to reduce the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on our roads.”

Last year 42 people were killed and a further 347 seriously injured (KSI) across the county’s road network - the highest number recorded in eight years.

ENDS