Police HGV catches nearly 3,000 drivers using phones at the wheel

Greater Manchester Police say they have caught hundreds of careless drivers using their phones behind the wheel, as part of a three-year trial of an unmarked HGV cab.

Officers use the HGV to see into vehicles and catch offenders, pulling them over at the roadside and issuing them with traffic notices.

Now, the cab is set to take its final journey across Manchester's motorways before it is retired, and replaced with three new 'supercabs'.

The first cab has been used to stop a total of 5,408 drivers in relation to 6,257 offences.

Greater Manchester Police was one of the first forces to use the cab when it was introduced in April 2015, and was the final force to use it before a new dedicated cab for the North goes on patrol from next month.

John Walford, Incident Prevention Manager at Highways England, said:

"We began the HGV cab initiative three years ago as part of the work we're doing to improve safety on motorways and major A roads, and we've been impressed by the impact it's had.

Police officers have pulled over more than 5,000 drivers for offences which could have resulted in serious collisions, either because road users have got into bad habits or are simply ignoring the law.

"We've found that the vast majority of drivers are sensible behind the wheel but some are putting themselves and others at risk, so we've therefore decided to fund three new HGV cabs to continue to improve road safety."

Chief Inspector Tariq Butt, who leads Greater Manchester Police's Traffic Unit, said:

"The use of the HGV cab as part of Operation Tramline has been a huge success across Greater Manchester over the last three years.

"The 'supercabs' will be a welcome addition and are crucial in raising continued awareness of a driver's responsibilities, improving road safety and more importantly reducing road casualties."

Officers gave verbal advice to 537 drivers, issued 1,014 fixed or graduated penalty notices, and filed 4,180 traffic offence reports - usually requiring drivers to attend a driver education course. There were also 194 prosecutions for more serious offences.