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POLICE SCOTLAND FEATURE - VEHICLES STOPPED DURING MAJOR ROADS OPERATION ON THE A90
Source: http://www.scotland.police.uk
Road Policing Officers across Scotland have carried out coordinated patrols and road checks on the A90 between Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire and Edinburgh.
The operation, involving more than ten road policing units and multiple divisions of Police Scotland, working in partnership with the camera safety units, was run from Monday 11 April to Friday 15 April 2016.
Multiple units were deployed at key locations over the 176 mile stretch of road, stopping a variety of vehicles and utilising Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to target specific offenders.
The officers were supported by Safety Camera units in the North East, Tayside, Fife and Edinburgh areas and deployed at various locations between Fraserburgh and Edinburgh.
As well as attending a number of collisions on the road, nearly 600 vehicles were stopped, with a variety of offences being detected.
Despite inappropriate speed being a factor in serious and fatal collisions, it was disappointing that 185 drivers were found to be exceeding the speed limit, with 5 being recorded at over 100 miles per hour.
Officers dealt with 31 drivers in relation to careless or dangerous driving, which involved a wide variety of incidents including tailgating, undertaking and a driver who was recorded travelling at 91 miles per hour in an area restricted to 50 miles per hour, while passing within metres of road workers.
17 drivers were reported for using mobile phones while driving and 43 were found to have no tax or expired MOT's. 98 vehicles were found to have defects, with 6 of the more serious ones being immediately prohibited from use on the public roads.
11 vehicles were also seized by Police after being used without insurance or by drivers who were either disqualified, had no licence or driving outwith the conditions of their licence.
Officers carried out a number of searches of vehicles, recovering small quantities of drugs as well as recovering a vehicle that had been stolen a short time earlier from the owner's home address. A male was also arrested regarding an outstanding apprehension warrant.
Sergeant Steve Manson from the Trunk Road Policing Group, who led the operation, said: "We have carried out a number of operations to reduce road casualties and influence driver and road user behaviour, as well as detecting and deterring criminality on our roads.
"As part of a National Police Service, Road Policing units are able to easily work together to target specific areas or roads without being restricted by previous Force boundaries. Although we have previously carried out joint initiatives, targeting specific routes, this is the biggest operation of this type we have undertaken.
"Officers carried out dedicated patrols and roadside checks in marked and unmarked vehicles along the length of the road, with the support of safety camera vans. If someone travelled on the A90 over the five days, they would have seen a number of Police vehicles at various points.
"The intention was to influence driver behaviour by providing a large presence on a single route, with officers targeting specific offences that are linked to injury collisions. In our work to detect and deter criminality on the roads, officers also stopped a number of vehicles following intelligence received from the local communities.
"The figures show the benefit of these types of operations, with a wide variety of offences being detected and a number of dangerous vehicles being put off the road. Some of the drivers who were stopped for more serious offences will be summoned to Court at a later date, however, many of the drivers were issued with fixed penalties of 3 points on their licence and a £100 fine.
"Despite the volume of vehicles stopped, it is encouraging that no drivers were detected driving under the influence of alcohol. It is good to see that our 'Don't Risk It' message appears to be getting trough, with drivers realising the dangers of driving while intoxicated.
"Road Policing Officers and units will continue to work together carrying out similar operations to target specific areas or routes."
