Swannells Transport is a haulage company in Huntingdon – operating warehousing, deliveries and general haulage on a daily basis. Due to its significance and our passion for the industry, we like to stay/keep you up to date with HGV news – and this one we find extremely interesting…
12 months ago, the police introduced ‘supercabs’, three unmarked HGVs driven by police forces, as a new method to catch dangerous drivers – and have proven to be a great success so far.
These unmarked HGVs have allowed officers to gather evidence of unsafe driving behaviour by pulling up alongside vehicles, filming the evidence and then the drivers are then pulled over by police cars that were following a short distance behind. For safety reasons (or in case of an emergency), the supercabs have a de-restricted speed limiter and hidden flashing police lights.
Due to the size and type of vehicle, it offers a lot of benefits to the police forces. For instance, it provides the perfect height advantage they need to see inside other vehicles, and the majority of drivers that are committing these crimes wouldn’t be suspicious of a Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) driving nearby, so it’s a great opportunity to catch them off-guard.
Funded by Highways England, the head of road safety Richard Leonard said: “Hundreds of thousands of drivers use our roads everyday and the vast majority are sensible behind the wheel but some are putting themselves and others at risk.
We introduced the three new HGV supercabs last year to help keep the roads safe and tackle dangerous driving by people who have either got into bad habits, or are simply ignoring the law.”
Out of the 29 police forces that have used these vehicles in the last 12 months, they have recorded more than 3,500 offences – 167 in the South West! From using a mobile phone while driving to not wearing a seatbelt, supercabs have enabled the law to be one step ahead of dangerous drivers.
Here are a few offences the forces have already caught evidence of in the last year:
- 8 motorists caught using mobile phones.
- 31 people caught not wearing a seatbelt.
- 32 traffic offences.
- 21 penalty notices issued.
- 4 dangerous drivers prosecuted.
Whilst the vehicles have been mostly operating in the Bristol area (M5), throughout this week the supercabs are being used to improve safety on the M1. Hopefully within the next few years more of these vehicles will be introduced and expanded to more of the UK’s roads.
As a Haulage Company in Huntingdon…
As a haulage company in Huntingdon, our drivers are highly experienced and trained to ensure safety is the first priority on the roads we drive on. If you are looking for a company who specialises in hazardous freight, warehousing and other general haulage, get in contact with us today to begin your journey!
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For now, keep driving safely!