Commissioner keeps track of road policing in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden recently got a taste of the work being done to keep roads safe across the county as part of National Road Victim Month in August.
Commissioner Godden, who has made improving road safety one of his key priorities in his Police and Crime Plan, was out on patrol with Nottinghamshire Police Sergeant Craig Luckett and his road policing team alongside the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
The patrols took place both north and southbound on the M1 during Operation Spotlight, which focused on the ‘fatal 4 behaviours’ leading to road deaths. These include speeding, driving under the influence of drink or drugs, not wearing a seatbelt and mobile phone use.
Throughout the day several motorists were pulled over for standard safety checks on their vehicles to ensure they are fit for use.
Commissioner Godden said: “Given that one of my key priorities is bringing safer roads for Nottinghamshire, being out with the road policing team gave me a great insight into the work currently taking place.
“The fact we are out and about during National Road Victim Month is really important because we need my priorities to be executed by Sergeant Luckett’s team who do a fantastic job in keeping people safe on the roads.
“I’d like to thank Craig and his team for showing me their work, and I’d urge anybody who hasn’t yet had their say on my policing plan to do so before the consultation closes on September 2.”
An annual campaign organised by charity RoadPeace, National Road Victim Month is in place to raise awareness about the number of people killed and seriously injured on UK roads every year.
Nottinghamshire Police Sergeant Craig Luckett said: “During the morning out with the Commissioner we were on the M1 taking part in a joint operation in conjunction with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
“This allows us to stop any vehicles, predominantly commercial ones, to make sure they’re complying with their safety standards and that they’re generally fit to use on the roads.
“One incident in-particular saw us pull over a box van to conduct necessary safety checks because it didn’t look as though it was in a suitable order.
“Myself and DVSA have looked at it and examined the wear and tear as well doing the usual checks on the driver. In the end it was safe to drive but that was just one of many vehicles that have been stopped for similar reasons.”