South Wales Police recently teamed up with bus operator First Cymru for an initiative which aimed to change driver behaviour and keep motorists safe.
As part of Operation Routemaster, officers were stationed on a bus, recording passing motorists to try and catch those who were committing ‘fatal five’ traffic offences.
These include drivers using their mobile phone, not wearing a seatbelt, speeding or drink/drug driving.
On one particular day (11 Sep), South Wales Police found 26 motorists committing one of the fatal five in Swansea.
This resulted in them being stopped by roads police officers in marked police vehicles, who gave a range of punishments, from advice to fixed penalties. One vehicle was seized for having no insurance.
The plan is to now expand the initiative to other locations within the force area.
PC Nick Thomas, from the Road Safety and Commercial Vehicle Unit, led the operation. He said: “Motorists are four times more likely to crash if they use their phone behind the wheel and South Wales Police are committed to targeting dangerous driving behaviours to keep our roads as safe as possible.
“Operation Routemaster is a new initiative where we have police officers gathering evidence of fatal five offences.
“Working with First Cymru bus company who share our passion for road safety, we had a successful day engaging with and educating drivers around the city of Swansea. With a successful trial of the operation, we intend to roll out the operation to other areas across the force.”
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