A total of 663 vehicles were stopped, with the police and National Highways uncovering 691 offences in just seven days. Eight police forces patrolled the M1 between Leeds and London in unmarked HGV cabs to look out for unsafe driving and potentially dangerous behaviour.
The most common offence found by the officers was people not wearing a seatbelt. A total of 239 motorists were caught, with a staggering 73 in South Yorkshire alone.
More than 180 motorists were spotted using a mobile phone at the wheel, despite new laws being introduced last year to tighten rules.
In March 2022, new driving punishments were brought in to crack down on people using their phones at the wheel.
If caught, motorists could be banned from driving altogether or face a fine of £200 and six penalty points on their driving licence.
These rules include actions as simple as changing their music playlist, playing games and taking pictures or videos.
A further 44 people were found to not be in proper control of their vehicles, while 42 were driving without due care and attention.
Jeremy Phillips, National Highways Head of Road Safety, said: “Hundreds of thousands of motorists travel over 21 million miles on the M1 every day – accounting for one in seven of all motorway journeys – and the vast majority are safe and legal drivers.
“But there is a minority that continue to put themselves and others at risk. It is disappointing that almost 700 offences were spotted in just one week – but thanks to Operation Freeway those drivers were prevented from continuing with their unsafe behaviours.
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“Through this week of action we aim to reduce the number of incidents on the M1 and to encourage motorists to think about their driving and to adopt safer behaviours.”
The penalties given out by the police and National Highways ranged from words of advice and cautions to 14 court summons and even five arrests.
The unmarked HGVs were part of Operation Tramline, with the police using the elevated position to spot drivers not paying attention to the road ahead.
One driver was stopped for having heavily tinted windows, and when tested, only 11 percent of light came through.
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In response, the driver admitted that at night he sometimes had to wind the window down to see, and was cautioned for having his vehicle in a dangerous condition.
Matt O’Connell, Northamptonshire Police Safer Roads Operations Manager, commented on Operation Freeway, saying it was important for these practices to take place.
He said: “Making sure everyone gets home safely is our top priority, and to achieve this, we need to ensure that we all use our roads both legally and responsibly.
“Commercial drivers drive thousands, if not tens of thousands, of miles each year and are sadly more likely to see the tragic consequences of poor driving standards, so it is always disappointing to still catch a small minority breaking the law.”
In 2022, there were over 200 incidents on the M1 every single day, with the police looking to cut down on any behaviour which could lead to people being involved in accidents.
The operation ran between March 6 and March 12 last month, with eight police forces involved hoping the enforcement will ensure drivers are always being safe inside and outside the vehicle.
The week of enforcement took place during severe and unseasonably wintery weather, with Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire police pulling drivers over to remove snow from their roofs and turn their lights on to boost visibility.
PC Dave Shaw, from Derbyshire Police Roads Policing Unit, said: “Using a HGV cab is a really useful tactic to help spot drivers who are putting other road users at risk and it’s still very disappointing to see so many drivers ignoring the law and choosing to commit offences on the roads.
“This operation shows how we continue to work in partnership with National Highways and other police forces to help improve road safety for all. We will be continuing to patrol the road network in Derbyshire and any driver found to be committing offences can expect to be given the appropriate penalty.”
Sergeant James Parmar, of West Yorkshire Police’s Roads Policing Unit, said: “We stopped 86 drivers on West Yorkshire’s stretch of the M1 during Operation Freeway for over 90 offences.
“The vast majority of these drivers were driving HGV or LGV vehicles and stopped for fatal five offences.
“The reality is that the dangers of actions such as using a mobile phone while driving, not wearing a seatbelt or driving without due care or attention are potentially even more catastrophic when a larger vehicle is involved.
“The action that we have taken, alongside other police forces and National Highways, is all about keeping our roads safe for everyone.”
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