Warning to everyone driving on the M6 from today as motorists will be watched

Improve driving standards

Safety operation to be launched on the M6 in a bid to improve driving standards.

Drivers heading onto the M6 from Monday are being warned to ensure they don’t break the rules – as they could be being watched. Traffic will be monitored on the motorway as part of a special operation.

Being watched

And it means motorists will never be sure if they are being watched. National Highways officers and police will be perched in unmarked HGV cabs driving up and down the motorway monitoring the actions of drivers.

They’ll be on the lookout for anyone using their phone, not wearing seatbelts or having their attention diverted from the road for other reasons. The ‘spy trucks’ will be travelling the length of the M6 between Monday, June 3 and Sunday, June 9.

Hard to spot

They could be at any point of the motorway at any time, meaning drivers won’t know when they are around and they will be particularly hard to spot during times of heavy traffic. Anyone spotted using a phone, not wearing a seatbelt or committing other traffic offences could be hit with a fine or penalty points.

The safety operation will aim to improve driving standards on the motorway and make drivers think twice about breaking their rules. There are concerns about huge numbers of motorists who continue to commit driving offences on the roads.

The big ones are using phones and not wearing seatbelts. BirminghamLive recently joined officers on a patrol of the M6 where motorists were spotted breaking these rules while doing speeds of around 70mph.

Not wearing a seatbelt

A huge 46,150 offences have been recorded by officers in the Operation Tramline HGV cabs since its launch in 2015. The most common offences are not wearing a seatbelt (13,562) and using a mobile phone (11,965).

National Highways Head of National Road User Safety Delivery, Matt Staton, said: “We know that the shocking examples identified by police in our unmarked cabs are carried out by a small minority and, thankfully, that most of the drivers on our roads are part of the law-abiding majority.

Mobile phone

“However, those who continue to take risks such as using their mobile phone at the wheel or other things that mean that their hands are off the wheel are putting themselves and others in danger. The Week of Action aims to make all of our roads safer by raising awareness and encouraging motorists to think carefully about their driving.”