Police reveal results of traffic crackdown

Police say that in response to local concerns and feedback which places road safety as the number one policing priority for communities in Orkney, officers from the Police Scotland Highland and Islands Divisional Road Policing Unit (DRPU) along with support from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) were in the county last week undertaking activity targeted at reducing road casualties.

The focus was on speeding, particularly near schools, seatbelt compliance, driving whilst using mobile phone and the operation and maintenance of commercial vehicles.

During the operation which extended over four days, a total of 70 vehicles were stopped, with 39 resulting in drivers, and in some cases employers, being reported.

The breakdown of offences detected were, 12 drivers reported for not wearing seatbelt, 12 drivers charged with speeding (11 of these within 20mph zones outside schools), one driver charged for using a mobile phone, 11 drivers charged with carrying dangerous loads/dangerous condition, four of these were HGV’s.

Five drivers and two companies were charged with failing to keep driver records and 12 commercial vehicles were issued with Prohibition Notices preventing them being driven any further until significant defects had been rectified. In addition, a further 12 HGV’s were stopped and inspected.

Inspector Gordon Deans said: “Disappointingly, the activity over the past week demonstrates that there are still a number of individuals, albeit a minority, who are either ignorant of the risks their activities pose to themselves and others or have a blatant disregard for road safety.

“Police in Orkney are committed to reducing casualties on our roads and maintaining Orkney’s position as one of the safest places to live, work and visit in the UK. We will use every opportunity to work with our colleagues in Road Policing and other agencies to ensure that our communities can go about their business on our roads free from the risk of becoming another statistic.”