Ticking off for trucker watching TikTok

A lorry driver on the M6 caught watching a video on his mobile phone and scrolling through TikTok is now being prosecuted by the police.

Staffordshire police said he was processed for driving without due care and attention last month during a road safety operation using an undercover HGV.

From their elevated position, officers were able to spot motorists’ dangerous driving habits, including making calls on handheld mobile phones and not wearing seatbelts.

Meanwhile, South Yorkshire police said the majority of drivers it caught in a similar operation on the M1, M18 and A1 were HGV drivers.

It said the footage it gathered was “shocking” and that out of the 215 vehicles stopped, 168 were lorries.

Other offences included not being in proper control of a vehicle, inappropriately using the hard shoulder and driving in the outside lane in a prohibited vehicle.

Four drivers were dealt with for having no insurance, three for driving through a red X and three for having an insecure load.

South Yorkshire police chief inspector Pete Spratt said: “We are committed to doing all we can to reduce road deaths and casualties on our roads, but everyone must take responsibility for their actions and help us reduce the risk.

“Every one of the drivers caught during this operation had the ability in certain circumstances to kill someone.”