Motorist caught solving Rubik's Cube with both hands while driving on M25 in Surrey

A van driver watching a film and a motorist solving a Rubik's Cube at the wheel were among 186 drivers stopped by Surrey Police during Operation Tramline.

Between Monday (3 July) and Friday (7 July) officers targeted distracted drivers across the M25 and M23.

Officers were using one of the HGV 'supercabs,' which was loaned to the force by National Highways. Whilst one officer was behind the wheel of the HGV, another was in the passenger seat watching out for dangerous or distracted driving and recording footage of incidents giving cause for concern.

The 'observer' then relayed information to a further police vehicle travelling behind, which intercepted and indicated to the driver to pull over. The officers were looking to identify and prevent offences as part of the operation to reduce collisions and improve road safety, journey times, and the reliability of motorways and major roads.

In total 186 stops were made and a total of 209 offences were dealt with over the 5 days.

The most common offence identified was use of mobile phone, which made up for 60% of the results (127), the second most common offence was seatbelt offences (23).

One stop resulted in an arrest for drug driving after the driver tested positive on a roadside drug test.

166 vehicles stopped were private vehicles, five were LGVs and 13 were HGVs. The vehicle stops resulted in number of outcomes including: 149 Traffic Offence Reports, 26 instances of words of advice being given to drivers, two arrests and 24 summons.

Chief Inspector Chris Tinney, who oversees the Surrey and Sussex Roads Policing and Commercial Vehicle Unit, said: "Fatal 5 offences are the leading causes of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads. 60% of offences identified during these 5 days were because the driver was on their mobile phone. The significant concern I took away from this operation is that 18 of those drivers seen using their phone were professional drivers of goods vehicles. The risk of being distracted driving an HGV can have catastrophic consequences.

"I am grateful for National Highways for their support to the operation by providing the HGV and look forward to future operations on our motorway network soon.

We are committed in keeping the roads in Surrey and Sussex as safe as possible, those who break the law behind the wheel are putting lives at risk and we see the devastating effects these actions can have"

Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Ellie Vesey-Thompson said: "Making Surrey’s roads safer is a key priority in the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan, and the shocking number of offences spotted by officers during the course of this week-long campaign shows how vital this aim is.

"An average of 41 offences were dealt with at the roadside every day throughout Op Tramline, and the majority of those stopped by our brilliant roads policing officers either had their mobile phones in their hands or weren’t wearing their seatbelts.

"Five people who were pulled over by officers were on their third driving offence.

"It is deeply concerning that there are still motorists so willing to risk their own safety, as well as the safety of others. There is no excuse for this kind of behaviour at all.

"We know that the majority of drivers who use our roads every day are sensible and safe while behind the wheel, but it’s disappointing to see how many people simply ignore the law.

"I’d like to say a big thank you to Surrey Police and to Highways England for helping to keep motorists safe on the county’s roads

"And I want to give a clear warning to drivers who flout the rules of the road: our officers can’t be everywhere, but they could be anywhere.”

Colin Evans, Regional Safety Coordinator in the South East, at Highways England, said: "Hundreds of thousands of drivers use our roads every day and the vast majority are sensible behind the wheel but some are putting themselves and others at risk. We introduced the three new HGV supercabs to help keep the roads safe and tackle dangerous driving by people who have either got into bad habits or are simply ignoring the law.

"The cabs have helped to identify thousands unsafe drivers since they were introduced, and we hope they will encourage everyone to think about what more they could do to improve how they drive."

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