Lorry driver caught eating jar of food while at the wheel on M5 motorway
Footage has been released from Gloucestershire Police's patrols on the M5
A van driver was caught texting and a lorry driver was spotted eating a jar of food while at the wheel during police patrols on the M5.
Officers from Gloucestershire Police drove an unmarked HGV to catch motorists committing offences on the motorway from 1 to 4 October.
20 drivers were stopped during the crackdown named Operation Tramline, which is designed to reduce the number of incidents caused by unsafe behaviour on the roads.
Drivers were stopped for offences including the use of a mobile phone, not being in proper control of a vehicle, failure to wear seatbelts and driving with an insecure load.
Officers who identified a driver committing an offence recorded video footage from the unmarked lorry cab before notifying officers in an accompanying car. These officers then intercepted the offending vehicle, pulling it over and dealing with the driver.
The offences were dealt with by way of Traffic Offence Reports and summons. These can potentially result in a fine of £100 for failing to wear a seatbelt, £200 and six penalty points for using a handheld mobile device and a £300 fine for driving a vehicle in contravention of a prohibition.
Penalties for driving whilst disqualified can lead to a fine of up to £5,000 and up to six months’ imprisonment.
Sergeant Matt Firth from the Roads Policing Unit said: "The use of the HGV from National Highways enables our Roads Policing officers to detect some offences that would otherwise be a challenge to identify.
"Reducing the numbers of those killed or seriously injured on our roads is a priority for Gloucestershire Constabulary, and making the roads safer for all is what our communities want our team to be leading on.
"We will continue to deal with offences positively, remembering that any of us or our loved ones could be impacted by such behaviours whilst using the roads."
National Highways has three unmarked HGV cabs which it loans out to police forces across the country as part of Operation Tramline.
National Highways Assistant Regional Safety Programme Manager Beverley Hannah, said: "Working closely with our police partners, National Highways is striving to stamp out inappropriate driving behaviours on our roads.
"While we always hope that when our HGVs go out no instances of unsafe driving will be seen, thanks to the elevated position in the cabs the officers have a clear view into all vehicles so those who do put themselves and others at risk can be spotted and stopped.
"We hope that knowing our HGVs are on the road will persuade motorists to consider their driving behaviour carefully, making the roads safer for everyone."