Police put the brakes on careless driving in Devonport

In response to the communities’ concerns surrounding road safety in the Devonport and West area of Plymouth, local police recently ran an operation aimed at improving safety on the roads by cracking down on dangerous driving and deterring motorists from exceeding speed limits. 

The road safety operation deployed plain-clothes officers to identify vehicles and drivers committing or suspected of committing road offences, such as driving without a seatbelt. Officers were also supported by colleagues from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), who carried out a range of safety inspections on larger vehicles.

During the road safety operation, fourteen drivers were pulled over for motoring offences including driving whilst on their mobile phone, driving without insurance and MOT, and driving without a seatbelt. All drivers have been reported and suitable penalties will be issued, including speed awareness courses, points on licenses and fines. Two unmarked police cars were also deployed for the operation, and arrested two people for suspected drug driving. Both individuals are currently under investigation.

Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) conducted community speed watch checks and were pleased to report the vast majority of drivers were within the speed limit, driving at an appropriate speed for the conditions. Several drivers were given warnings regarding their speed which exceeded the roads’ limits.

The DVSA inspected multiple vehicles and dealt with a number of issues including insecure loads, trucks that were overloaded with contents and tyres that were unsafe. In total, the DVSA team temporarily prohibited 23 vehicles from re-joining the carriageway until the dangerous defects were resolved.

"This road safety operation ran as a result of reviewing crime reports and by listening to the concerns raised by members of our community,” said Police Sergeant Simon Coffield, who led the road safety operation, “the roads in Devonport are largely safe and serious incidents are very rare, however, residents have made it clear that speeding and careless driving is an issue on our roads. Without those reports from the public, we wouldn’t have been able to plan such a targeted and successful operation.”

Inspector Paul Laity, who heads up the neighbourhood police team in Devonport and West Plymouth said: “We know how crucial it is to continue to keep our roads safe for both drivers and pedestrians. Dangerous driving is an issue, with people unnecessarily losing their lives or suffering injuries due to careless behaviour on the road; in 2021, 47 people were killed on the roads of Devon and Cornwall and 647 were seriously injured. 

"Every single death or injury on our roads is one too many. That's why operations focused on road safety like this one is an essential part of our efforts to take proactive action against this problem.

“This operation shows we are committed to not just hearing the communities’ concerns, but that we are taking tough steps to make our roads safer, and that community involvement, crime reports, and partnership are all vital in ensuring our efforts are successful.”

There are contributory factors that cause serious road traffic collisions, which are known as the ‘Fatal Five’. This includes careless driving, drink/drug driving, failing to wear seatbelts, using mobile phones (and other in-car distractions) and speeding.

Drivers who commit offences could receive a fine and points on their licence, a court appearance and even imprisonment for more serious offences.

For more information, visit the road safety page on the Devon & Cornwall website.

If you are concerned about speeding in your area, or you would like to share information about a suspected road traffic offence to the police, please report it online here. If a crime is in progress always call 999.

Keep up to date with videos, tips and guidance on road safety on our social media pages: TikTok – @georgescarmedia, Facebook - @Devon & Cornwall Police and X - @DC_police.