Police officers pulled over the driver of a heavily laden car transporter on the M40 after spotting him controlling the vehicle with just one elbow. They said the HGV driver was seemingly oblivious to the police as they drove alongside him in an unmarked cab on the busy motorway and videoed the offence. However, he quickly put hands firmly on the wheel when they caught his attention and notified their colleagues travelling behind to pull the vehicle over.
Footage of a number of shocking incidents was released by National Highways as police forces geared up for a week of action along the length of the M1. One included a driver who was spotted at the wheel of a horse box texting on his mobile phone – and without his seatbelt on. Officers from eight different police forces patrolled the motorway between London and Leeds earlier this month looking out for incidents of illegal driving. More than 33,254 offences have been recorded since the Operation Tramline HGV cabs national safety initiative was launched by National Highways in 2015. And some 30,380 vehicles have been stopped by police partners. The most common offences are not wearing a seatbelt (9,962) and using a mobile phone (8,368), followed by 2,257 who were not in proper control of their vehicle.
