Operation Journey continues to drive home the importance of road safety

More than 30 motoring offences were detected by Northamptonshire Police in just one day following the latest day of action held in the centre of Northampton.

On Thursday, October 24, the Force’s Roads Policing and Safer Roads Team were joined by colleagues from the DVSA in Bridge Street as part of Operation Journey, which aims to reduce the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on our roads.

During the checks held between 10am and 4pm, 51 road users were stopped, which resulted in four arrests and eight vehicles seized as well as 10 immediate and four delayed probation notices issued.

Two men from Northampton - aged 40 and 24 - were arrested on suspicion of driving with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the specified limit. They have both been released under investigation.

While two other men – aged 37 and 23 and from London – were arrested on suspicion of knowingly entering the UK without leave. They were handed over to the immigration services to be processed.

Of the eight vehicles seized – six were for having no motor insurance and two were removed for obstruction of the highway. As well as having the inconvenience of losing their vehicles, the registered owners also received fixed penalty notices.

In addition to this, fixed penalty notices for a range of driving offences including seven for tyre defects, two for not wearing a seat belt, two for numberplate issues and one for defective lighting.

Nine drivers were reprimanded for driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition. Four vehicles had faulty braking systems, a further two had issues with their stability control systems while one had a diesel leak, one had illegal window tints, and another had a body panel which was in a poor condition that it was likely to cause injury.

Officers from the DVSA issued 14 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.

Sergeant Chris Gray, forensic collision investigator and specialist vehicle examiner with the Force, said: “Our priority remains to ensure that everyone arrives home safely and spot checks like this enable us to work towards this by removing unsafe vehicles from our roads.

“Some of these issues may seem trivial to some, 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.

“We all have a responsibility to use our roads safely and legally 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.”

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.

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.