Operation Journey drives home the importance of road safety

Ensure you and your vehicle are fit for the road – that is the message from Northamptonshire Police after almost 30 motoring offences were detected during the latest Operation Journey day of action.

Officers from the Force’s Roads Policing, Safer Roads and Local Policing Area were joined by partners from the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) to do stop checks in Bridge Street, Northampton, at the end of last month (April 24).

Officers engaged with 167 road users throughout the day, organised as part of ongoing work to reduce the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on Northamptonshire’s road network.

Eleven drivers had their vehicles seized and were also issued with fixed penalty notices. Seven of these were for having no motor insurance, three for driving without a valid UK licence, one for driving with an expired MOT and one for obstruction of a highway.

In addition to this, a further 13 people were issued with fixed penalty notices for a range of driving offences including six for tyre defects, three for not wearing a seat belt and two for not ensuring children under three were properly secured in vehicles.

Two other drivers were reprimanded for driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition due to the thickness of window tints, and one e-scooter owner was issued with words of advice after being stopped for riding a private electric scooter in a public place.

Officers from the DVSA issued 21 road users with immediate and delayed prohibition notices for a variety of offences including serious mechanical and tyre defects. As a result, drivers either had to rectify the issue that day or were given up to 10 days to do so.

PC Dave Lee of the Safer Roads Team said: “Everyone needs to play their part to help save lives and one of the most basic, but essential, ways to do this is to ensure both you and your vehicle are fit for the road.

“Some of 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.

“Tragically in 2023, after being involved in a road collision in Northamptonshire, 29 people never returned home safely to their loved ones, and 271 required urgent medical assistance for serious and life-changing injuries.

“Our priority remains to ensure that everyone arrives home safely, and road checks likes this enable us to work towards this by improving the standards of driving and removing unsafe vehicles from the road immediately.”

Anyone with information about road safety concerns or any vehicle crime is asked to report it online at www.northants.police.uk/reportonline or call Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Always call 999 in the event of an emergency, such as a crime in progress or where life is at risk.