South Wales Police recently teamed up with First Cymru for an initiative which aimed to change driver behaviour and keep motorists safe. As part of its Operation Routemaster, police officers were stationed on a bus, recording passing motorists to try and catch those who were committing the so-called ‘fatal five’ traffic offences, including using their mobile phone, not wearing a seatbelt, speeding or drink or drug driving.
On one particular day, 11 September, South Wales Police found 26 motorists committing one of those offences in Swansea, resulting in them being stopped by roads police officers in marked police vehicles, and issued with a range of punishments, from advice to fixed penalties. One vehicle was seized for having no insurance.
The police force says it now plans to expand the initiative to other locations within its area. PC Nick Thomas, from the force’s Road Safety and Commercial Vehicle Unit, led the operation. He said: “Motorists are four times more likely to crash if they use their phone behind the wheel and South Wales Police are committed to targeting dangerous driving behaviours to keep our roads as safe as possible.
“Operation Routemaster is a new initiative where we have police officers gathering evidence of fatal five offences. Working with First Cymru, which shares our passion for road safety, we had a successful day engaging with and educating drivers around the city of Swansea. With a successful trial of the operation, we intend to roll out the operation to other areas across the force.”
