Day of action sees more than 200 traffic offences detected by police
Operation Toro was carried out in Frome as part of this year's Road Safety Week
Hundreds of traffic offences have been recorded by the police in a big day of action for the force in Frome.
Operation Toro took place earlier this month as part of Road Safety Week in response to concern by the public after a number of serious crashes.
Police have called the day of action 'successful', as the preventative measures took a number of dangerous drivers off the roads.
The operation was supported by police speed enforcement units and Community SpeedWatch volunteers who were stationed on key routes around the town to detect motorists travelling at unsafe speeds.
Roads Policing officers were also patrolling the area with the support of the drone team.
Inspector Rob Barker, Roads Policing lead at Avon and Somerset Police said: “During Road Safety Week, we’re reminding motorists that the ‘fatal five’ – excess speed, drink or drug driving, careless driving, using a mobile phone at the wheel and failing to wear a seatbelt – dramatically increase the likelihood of being involved in a fatal or serious injury collision.
“The police will be actively targeting those drivers who deliberately flout the law and put themselves and other road users at risk, such as those who choose to get behind the wheel intoxicated, drive at unsafe speeds, or fail to ensure their vehicle has a valid MOT and insurance.
“Our approach, both here in Frome and across Avon and Somerset, is a mix of education and enforcement in order to make our roads safer for everyone.”
The results of Operation Toro, back on November 21:
- Thousands of motorists monitored by community SpeedWatch volunteers
- 204 speed detections, with a top speed recorded of 55mph in a 30mph limit
- 46 speeding warning letters sent to drivers
- 5 uninsured vehicles seizes
- 1 fixed penalty notice for use of a mobile phone behind the wheel
- 3 drivers identified not wearing a seatbelt
- 1 driver arrested and later charged with drink driving after a roadside breath test
- 1 vehicle stopped linked to a reported assault - with an offensive weapon seized
Somerset Commander, Supt. Lisa Simpson said: “We’ve listened to members of the public here in Frome who are telling us that they are concerned about road safety, particularly motorists driving too fast on roads near schools and residential areas.
“Additionally, we are seeing a worrying number of serious and fatal collisions in 2023, a number of which have occurred on key routes in the Frome area.
“This was a highly successful day of action in which several offenders were taken off the roads before they could cause harm. I hope it will be the first of many such operations across our towns and cities aimed at preventing future tragedies.”
Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner, Mark Shelford, said: “Road safety is a high priority for me in my role as Police and Crime Commissioner.
“I welcome this joined up approach, which was designed to create maximum impact by targeting motorists who pose a risk to other road users, while simultaneously carrying out high visibility community engagement to educate and reassure residents.
“We all have a part to play in ensuring the roads are safe for everyone, and I’d like to express my thanks not only to the officers involved on the day, but also to the dedicated Community SpeedWatch volunteers who supported this operation.”
More than 3500 speeding offences were detected across the entire Avon and Somerset policing area during national Road Safety Week, which ran from 19-26 November.