Throughout July, officers from Northamptonshire Police will be joining forces across the UK to shine the spotlight on the fatal four driving offences which are considered the main causes in road traffic collisions.
Historically, July sees the highest number of people killed and seriously injured on the UK road network, which has prompted the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to launch a campaign to make our roads safer for everyone.
Nationally, there have been 2,751 people killed or seriously injured on the roads in July in the last five years which have been attributed to the fatal four driving offences.
Operation Spotlight aims to raise awareness of the dangers and consequences of the four biggest contributory factors in collisions - driving under the influence of drink or drugs, mobile phone use, speeding and not wearing a seatbelt.
In Northamptonshire last July, there were 109 arrests for driving under the influence of drink or drugs on the county’s roads while a total of 5,756 fixed penalty notices were issued for excessive speed, 117 for not wearing a seatbelt and 45 for using a mobile phone at the wheel.
So far in 2024 (January-May), there has been 527 arrests for driving under the influence of drink or drugs on the county’s roads while a total of 25,192 fixed penalty notices were issued for excessive speed, 691 for not wearing a seatbelt and 301 for using a mobile phone at the wheel.
This year, led by the Roads Policing and Safer Roads Teams, officers from across the Force will reinforce the educational messaging around the fatal four driving offences throughout the month-long campaign to raise awareness of the potential dangers and consequences.
Anyone caught committing a driving offence, putting themselves and others at risk, will face further action, which will include:
• Excessive speed - minimum penalty for speeding is £100 fine and three points added to your licence. If eligible you may be offered an online education course
.• Not wearing a seatbelt - If you’re caught travelling in a vehicle without wearing a seatbelt you could be given a fixed penalty notice of £100 on the spot. While the driver is responsible for children aged up to 14, those over 14 are responsible for their own actions so if you are not wearing a seatbelt as a passenger, you could be fined £100.
• Using a mobile phone - you can get six penalty points on your licence and a £200 fine if you use a hand-held phone when driving.
• Drink/drug driving – you risk up to six months in prison, an unlimited fine and substantial driving ban. However, the costs of a conviction could be up to £70,000 because of fines, solicitors’ fees, increase in the cost of car insurance and potentially losing your job.
In addition to the above:
• Drivers who cause a death while driving under the influence of drink or drugs face up to 14 years’ imprisonment.
• Receiving 12 or more penalty points within three years may disqualify you from driving.
• If you’re a newly qualified driver and receive six points during the first two years after passing your test, your licence will automatically be cancelled (revoked). To get it back you’ll need to apply and pay for a new provisional licence and pass both theory and practical tests again.
Roads Policing Inspector Ian Wills said: “Tragically in 2023, after being involved in a road collision in Northamptonshire, 29 people never returned home safely to their loved ones, and 271 required urgent medical assistance for serious and life-changing injuries.
“We know that most people consider everyone getting home safely as more important than taking unnecessary risks, however there are those who choose to deliberately drive or ride irresponsibly or illegally on our roads when they think they can get away with it.
“One way to help make our roads a safer place for everyone is to change how we use them by challenging dangerous or illegal behaviour. This operation provides us with the opportunity to focus our efforts on this and educate and engage with road users.
“However, this is not just a month-long campaign. We police our roads 24/7 and take robust actions against anyone who chooses to ignore the law which then impacts on the safety of others.”
Reducing the number of people who are killed or seriously injured is a priority for not only the Force, but also the county’s multi-agency partnership, the Northamptonshire Safer Roads Alliance (NSRA).
Set up in 2018, the NSRA brings key partners together to work on various initiatives which aim to reduce casualty figures and improve road safety across the county through education, engagement, engineering, and enforcement.
Sitting on the NSRA partnership are the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Northamptonshire Police, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, National Highways, and Kier Transportation|Highways representing West Northamptonshire Council and North Northamptonshire Council.
Anyone with information about road safety concerns or any vehicle crime is asked to report it online at www.northants.police.uk/reportonline or call Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Always call 999 in the event of an emergency, such as a crime in progress or where life is at risk.
People can also report driving offences by uploading video evidence via a simple online portal on the Force website and completing a form, which automatically creates a witness statement to provide a full account of the incident.