POLICE officers and representatives from VOSA (The Department of Transport's Vehicle & Operator Services Agency), spent a day checking vehicles and drivers at the A29 in Ockley and the A25 by Betchworth Golf Club as part of the DriveSMART initiative to address anti-social driving and improve road safety.
These locations were targeted because of concerns expressed by local residents and to monitor vehicles travelling into Surrey.
The event, which took place on Thursday 11 July 2013, resulted in:
One driver arrested for possession of cannabis and possession of an offensive weapon
One car seized under Section 165 as the driver did not have any insurance or driving licence
Five prohibition notices issued to drivers
One driver, with no insurance, received a penalty of £200 and 6 penalty points
One driver, with no valid driving licence, had their car seized and will be issued with penalty points and a minimum £150 fine
A total of 30 traffic offences were detected.
Roads Casualty Reduction Officer PC Tom Arthur said: "VOSA examined vehicles at a holding site at each location. The five drivers issued with prohibition notices were pulled up for a total of fifteen offences including illegal tyres, exhausts, window tints, oil leaks, illegal number plates and an un-roadworthy vehicle.
For safety reasons it is essential for car owners to regularly maintain and check their vehicles to ensure that they are fit to be on the road – not only to ensure that they meet legal requirements but reduce the risk of harm to themselves and others. A few simple checks can make the difference between life and death. "
Thirty traffic offences were also reported throughout the day. The offences ranged from speeding, illegal number plates, faulty brake lights, illegal tyres, to people using mobile phones while driving and not wearing seat belts.
By far the most common offence that officers reported was for people not wearing seat belts. PC Arthur said: "The law requiring all drivers to wear their seatbelts came in to force 30 years ago and in 1991 the law changed again making it a legal requirement for adults to wear seatbelts in the back of cars.
"Wearing a seatbelt is mandatory, even so the most regular excuses people gave were that they had 'only just got in the car' or had 'forgotten'. You should always wear a seatbelt. Research published by Think!, the Government's road safety information and education provider, shows you are twice as likely to die in a crash if you are not wearing a seatbelt and can be a fatal decision even on short, familiar journeys even at low speeds. Always wear your seatbelt correctly so it can offer you the best possible protection in a road traffic incident."
