Police tackle dangerous driving hotspots following deaths on Pendle roads

Drivers have been caught using a phone and failing to wear a seatbelt in a clampdown by Pendle police.
By Laura Longworth
Published 3rd Apr 2023, 11:35 BST
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Officers issued 21 tickets for seatbelt and mobile phone driving offences during a traffic operation in the borough last Wednesday.

The campaign comes after three people were killed or seriously injured due to dangerous driving in Pendle last year, with road safety being flagged as a key community concern. Officers have also tackled 1,720 excessive speeding offences in the past three years.

Here is everything we know so far about the campaign:

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PC Jemima Hill speaks to a driver caught without their seatbelt on.PC Jemima Hill speaks to a driver caught without their seatbelt on.
PC Jemima Hill speaks to a driver caught without their seatbelt on.

What are the “fatal five” offences being tackled by police?

The five main factors that can cause fatal road traffic collisions are:

  1. Speeding;
  2. Using a mobile phone while driving;
  3. Drink and drug driving;
  4. Not wearing a seat belt;
  5. Careless driving.

Commenting on the Pendle operation, PC Jemima Hill said: “These are the reasons why so many people lose their lives on the road and obviously that is not okay. It's not safe and that's not what we want. So that's why we're doing what we're doing.”

What is the traffic operation being carried out by Pendle police?

Officers carried out a three-week education campaign to inform drivers about road safety and how rules are enforced, including giving talks in schools.

They are now targeting hotspots and penalising anyone caught committing a dangerous driving offence.

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What did PC Matt Lunney say about the road safety campaign?

PC Matt Lunney, who is leading the operation, said: “The message is have your seat belt on, don't speed, don't be on your mobile phone while you're driving and don't let us issue you a ticket, and that will be a good day because we don't want to issue you tickets. The fact is, we want the roads to be safe and that's where we're at.

"Be safe and stick to the rules and then we don't have to do it again. Everybody's happy.

"It's not a money-making exercise at all. It's not a figure exercise. It's about being safe. That's all it's about: please be safe and don't empower us to give you a ticket; just be safe and we're happy.”