Not wanting to spill a pot of sauce balanced on the steering
wheel was one of the worst excuses for bad driving given to West
Yorkshire Police.
Officers had stopped the motorist after witnessing them swerving
across lanes and performing a poor overtaking manoeuvre, putting
the lives of other road users at risk.
Police also discovered a man riding his mobility scooter on a
motorway who told them it was “the fastest way home”, as well as
someone caught speeding who said it was because “they were
tired”.
See the video of excuses
here.
These were just some of the excuses given to the county's Road
Policing Unit as they tackle the five main contributory factors
that cause serious road traffic collisions.
Known as the 'Fatal Five', these are:
- Careless driving
- Drink and drug driving
- Not wearing a seatbelt
- Using a mobile phone
- Speeding
In West Yorkshire, careless driving alone contributes to more
than half of all fatal and serious injuries on the roads.
Roads Policing lead Chief Inspector James Farrar,
said: “Roads policing officers regularly have to deal
with the aftermath of fatal and serious injury collisions, and so
many of these involve at least one of the Fatal Five offences.
“We urge everybody who gets behind the wheel of a vehicle to be
aware of the life-changing consequences their behaviour can have,
for themselves and others. Just a single moment of distraction
can have catastrophic consequences.
“As a force we are committed to educating motorists on the
dangers but we will not hesitate to take enforcement action where
appropriate.”
West Yorkshire Police are part of Vision Zero, the local
partnership initiative to reduce all road deaths and serious
injuries to zero by 2040.
OBE, Chair of the West
Yorkshire Vision Zero Partnership and the region's Deputy Mayor
for Policing and Crime, said: “The Road Policing Unit
are a fantastic set off officers dedicated to ensuring we can all
get around safely.
“The fatal five are the most common, and most easily avoided
issues on our roads, all stemming from poor choices.
“Everyone has a role in road safety and by avoiding the fatal
five, you can help ensure no-one suffers the devastation of death
or serious injury.
“You can also assist officers by submitting footage of dangerous
driving through Op Snap and by committing to
being a safe driver through signing the Vision Zero
Pledge.”
West Yorkshire Police Roads Policing Unit (RPU) officers are
responsible for the policing of the road network throughout the
county.
See a video of a tour of a RPU
car here.
Within this area there are roads of all types including one of
the busiest motorway networks in Europe. This network includes
the M62 M1, M621, M606, A1 and A1(M); a total distance of over
213 carriageway miles in some of the most challenging of
environments.
Their priorities include:
- Patrolling the Roads
- Disrupting Criminality
- Reducing Road Casualties
- Counter Terrorism
- Tackling Anti-Social Driving
