The drones being used to catch dangerous drivers in Devon and Cornwall
Police drones are being used to catch dangerous drivers in Devon and Cornwall.
The force's drone unit is working with police officers to monitor speeds and record bad driving in trouble spots.
It's part of an operation to record motorists in an effort to make roads safer in the South West.
The drones can spot motorists from 3.7 miles away and are able to calculate the live speed of a vehicle by using fixed points on the roads.
They can also record live footage of all incidents, meaning any dangerous or inappropriate driving will be caught on camera.
The force said it is the first time the drones have been used for road safety.
Ch Insp Ben Asprey is the force's head of roads policing and is also part of a motorcycle task group. He said: "Sadly last year was a terrible year for serious and fatal collisions involving motorcyclists.
"In 2022, 16 motorcyclists were killed on Devon and Cornwall’s roads - the highest figure in the past five years. A further 187 were also left seriously injured.
“Despite motorcyclists making up less than 1% of overall traffic, they account for roughly a third of all serious and fatal collisions in our area.
"Speed and inappropriate riding have been major contributory factors in the motorcycle collisions we have attended.
"Travelling too fast gives you less time to react and dramatically increases their risk of being fatally or seriously injured."
Inspector Colin Harper, from the force's drone team, explained why they are such a game-changer: "It will give us early warning of any offences and allow us to be far more targeted in our approach on the ground.
“We will be deploying this technology on roads where we know motorbikes are travelling too fast, and also around dates and locations where motorcycle events are scheduled to take place.
“This technology can and will be used to help detect speeding and dangerous driving in all vehicles on our roads.
"At present, our focus is on motorcyclists who are at highest risk according to our data, particularly at this time of year when more riders will be venturing out again after the winter.”