Police road safety campaign extended to cover whole of South West
THE successful Devon and Cornwall Constabulary road safety enforcement campaign, Operation Vortex, is to be launched across the entire South West from today (Monday) The initiative promoting road safety by targeting motorists who flout road traffic laws w
THE successful Devon and Cornwall Constabulary road safety enforcement campaign, Operation Vortex, is to be launched across the entire South West from today (Monday)
The initiative promoting road safety by targeting motorists who flout road traffic laws will be run simultaneously in five police forces in the South West. Other police forces taking part will be Avon & Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.
Dedicated teams of roads policing officers will patrol in unmarked cars and on motorcycles on a wide variety of routes across the region in a concerted effort to improve motorists' behaviour and so reduce injury collisions. Recording equipment will be used in many vehicles to catch those flouting the law and road safety.
The enforcement campaign will take place during various weeks through until the end of October. The intention is to deal robustly with offenders and make contributions to road casualty reduction.
Chief Inspector Chris Booty, Devon and Cornwall's Head of Roads Policing said: "Previous Vortex operations have been running in Devon and Cornwall since 2007 and have made some significant inroads into reducing casualties.. Forces across the South West have now joined in this initiative so it is operating over a much wider area. The intention is to have a much bigger impact on improving driver behaviour.
"We are progressing well across the region in our efforts to reduce casualties on our roads, but we must never be complacent. Last year 262 people were killed on the roads of the South West and more than 19,000 people injured. That is an average of 22 people a month losing their lives, which is unacceptable."
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Each of the five forces in the South West region will be deploying officers in unmarked cars and motorcycles to work on high profile routes and those with known collision histories. Routes such as the A30, A38, A303, A46, M5 and M4 stretching across the South West will be among those targeted. Local routes in all forces will be included. In Devon and Cornwall the A380, A361, A374 will be subject of attention.
