02/08/2021
Police Scotland in the Highlands new truck !
Highland and Islands road policing officers have been conducting road safety patrols as part of Operation Cedar (challenge, educate, detect and reduce) and have been using an HGV tractor unit along side marked and unmarked police cars to detect poor driving standards, and specifically those drivers who use hand held mobile phones.
Patrols were carried out in Lochaber and Inverness from 26th-31st July when officers detected 43 mobile phone offences in addition to careless driving, no insurance, MOT and construction and use offences. Drivers were either reported to the Procurator Fiscal or issued with fixed penalty notices at the roadside.
Inspector Donnie Mackinnon from the Highland and Islands Road Policing Unit said: “By conducting these innovative patrols, we highlight our commitment to road safety across the area. We are taking positive action in response to concerns raised by members of the public and our own officers in relation to those who drive whilst using hand held mobile devices for purposes such as texting, messaging and using various apps.
"Driving and using a hand held mobile phone / electronic device causes distraction, affects concentration and increases the likelihood of being involved in a collision - the consequences of which can be catastrophic. If you are caught, you could be fined and your licence endorsed so please put your phone away and don’t put yourself and others road users at risk."