Wiltshire Police catch M4 drivers on phones from unmarked HGV

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 25 Oct, 15:57 · Archive

Wiltshire Police have caught drivers using mobile phones on the M4 by filming from an unmarked HGV cab. Officers positioned in the elevated cab of the lorry can see down into cars, vans and other HGVs as they patrol between junctions 14 and 18.

The operation forms part of Operation Tramline, which targets what police describe as the 'Fatal Five' offences. Dramatic footage released by Wiltshire Police shows how clearly officers can observe motorists from their vantage point in the lorry, with some drivers apparently unaware they are being watched until stopped.

In one encounter caught on video, a driver was confronted after officers said they spotted him with a mobile phone beside his knee. The driver initially denied holding the phone, claiming his daughter had it instead. However, police showed him footage they said captured him using the device. An officer told him: 'They've seen you on your mobile in your right hand, down by the side of your knee. Twice.'

Another clip shown by police depicts the driver of a red HGV allegedly using a mobile phone while driving. The operation demonstrates the vantage point the unmarked HGV provides for detecting driver behaviour that might otherwise go unnoticed at ground level.

PC Luke Hobbs of Wiltshire Police's Roads Policing Unit indicated that the HGV cab gives officers a significant advantage in spotting traffic violations. The use of high-position observation points allows police to identify and intervene in dangerous driving practices more effectively than conventional patrol methods.

How it is being reported

• Police snare unsuspecting M4 drivers using phones from unmarked HGVUnsuspecting drivers have been caught using their phones behind the wheel after police pulled alongside them in an unmarked HGV and filmed what they were doing.Gazette & Herald · 25 Oct, 15:35
• Police snare unsuspecting M4 drivers using phones from unmarked HGVUnsuspecting drivers have been caught using their phones behind the wheel after police pulled alongside them in an unmarked HGV and filmed what they were doing.Swindon Advertiser · 25 Oct, 15:35
• Police snare unsuspecting M4 drivers using phones from unmarked HGVUnsuspecting drivers have been caught using their phones behind the wheel after police pulled alongside them in an unmarked HGV and filmed what they were doing.Wiltshire Times · 25 Oct, 15:35

In this story: Wiltshire Police · M4 · PC Luke Hobbs · Operation Tramline

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