Dorset Police news site

A heavy goods vehicle was used by road policing officers to target unsafe activity by motorists with over 140 offences detected and two arrests made.

In 2024, 267 people were killed or seriously injured in a road traffic collision in Dorset. The Force is continuously looking for ways to ensure the safety of road users and has been utilising specialist tactics to prevent injuries and road traffic collisions.

Between Monday 28 April and Friday 2 May 2025, a specialist operation was held using a heavy goods vehicle to carry out targeted patrols on roads across the county.

The vehicle allows officers to be in an elevated position and use a video camera to capture evidence of any offending. This information is then shared with officers on the ground in other vehicles who can intercept the offending motorists.

The operation utilised the skills of the Roads Policing Team, No Excuse Team, Commercial Vehicle Unit, road casualty reduction officers and officers from the Special Constabulary.

During the operation, a driver was seen travelling on the Dorset Way with both hands off the wheel eating their breakfast. They were issued with a ticket as this behaviour is dangerous and does not leave someone in control of their vehicle.

A heavy goods vehicle driver was stopped after being reported by a member of the public for suspected drink driving. He was intercepted by officers and arrested, before being charged and sentenced to a 28-month disqualification from driving, as well as a 12-month community order and a £1,200 fine for breaching the drivers’ hours limit.

Throughout the week, 77 motorists were fined for not wearing a seatbelt, 27 people were dealt with for using their phone while driving, 15 people were found to be driving without due care and attention, 13 motorists were not in proper control of their vehicle, 12 vehicles were insecurely loaded and two vehicles were seized.

Police Sergeant Dave Cotterill, of the Roads Policing Team, said: “Our ultimate goal is to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on Dorset’s roads and we are exploring all options available to us to identify anyone not adhering to the law.

“Not wearing a seatbelt, driver distractions, drink driving and careless driving are all part of the fatal five, which are deemed as the leading cause of collisions that result in a death or serious injury.

“The outcome of this week shows the importance of this type of operation. Almost 30 offences were identified every day, which could each have led to a tragic consequence due to a momentary lapse of judgement.

“I would like to thank everyone involved in this operation for making it a success, including our special constables who gave up their time to protect road users across the county.

“We will be continuing our relentless efforts, working with our partners, to keep the roads safe and reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured using a vehicle in Dorset.”

Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, David Sidwick said: “Every death on Dorset’s roads is a tragedy and drivers who flout the law by choosing to drink and drive or use their mobile phone or momentarily absent themselves from having control of their vehicle so they can eat breakfast are playing Russian roulette not only with their own lives but with the lives of others – so stopping them, fining them, sending them to court is exactly what both I and the people of Dorset expect to see happen.

"Thank you to all of the teams from Dorset Police that took part in this operation and made it a success – you have my enduring support for all the work you do to keep on reducing the number of people who are killed and seriously injured on our roads.”