More than 30 offences detected on road safety partnership day of action

More than 30 motoring offences were detected by Northamptonshire Police in just one day following the latest partnership day of action held at a Northampton retail park.

On Thursday, April 4, officers from the Safer Roads and Roads Policing Team were joined by DVSA and His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) at the Nene Valley Retail Park as part of ongoing activities to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads.

During the checks, the driver of a white Ford Transit was arrested on suspicion of driving while disqualified but further enquiries in custody showed that this was not case. However, he was charged with having a trailer with a load which was insecure/in a position likely to cause danger and driving without third party insurance.

The 49-year-old Northampton man was bailed to appear before Northampton Magistrates’ Court next Thursday (April 25). While a further two drivers received Traffic Offence Report (TOR) tickets for driving vehicles with insecure loads.

A further nine drivers received TOR tickets - six for seatbelt and one for number plate offences, plus two for vehicles found to be in a dangerous condition. Two other drivers were given words of advice.

Five drivers had their vehicles seized – three had no valid motor insurance or were driving without a licence. One had an expired MOT while another was running on red diesel, which is illegal to use on public roads.

A further five vehicles were issued with immediate prohibition notices which prevented the drivers from continuing their journeys until the defects and offences rectified, which included defective tyres, ASB light and indicators and vehicle overweight.

While another motorist received a delayed prohibition notice for a cracked windscreen. This means that although the driver could continue with their journey, the owner of the vehicle had up to 10 days to fix the defect before re-inspection.

PC Mo Allsopp-Clarke of Northamptonshire Police’s Safer Roads Team said: “Everyone needs to play their part to ensure everyone using our roads get home safely and one of the most basic, but essential, ways to do this is to make sure you and your vehicle are fit for the road.

“These issues may seem trivial however, it only takes one poorly maintained vehicle or a momentary lapse of concentration for a driver to be involved in a collision, which can result in potentially devastating consequences.

“Our priority remains to reduce the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on our roads, and with the support of our partners, days of action likes this enables us to work towards this by improving driving standards and removing unsafe vehicles immediately.”

Tragically in 2022, after being involved in a road collision in Northamptonshire, 36 people never returned home safely to their loved ones, and 347 required urgent medical assistance for serious and life-changing injuries.