Avoid the fatal five and be safe on our roads

We will be participating, along with other police services, in a national road safety week designed to help keep motorists safe in Gwent.

Officers from our roads policing and specialist operations (RPSO) unit will be out and about as part of national road safety week to keep people in Gwent safe on the roads.

Starting on Monday 14 November, the team will be working with partners at GoSafe, the Wales Road Casualty Reduction Partnership, to take a strong stance against those who choose to put others at risk on the roads by driving dangerously.

During the weeklong national campaign that aims to raise awareness of and prevent dangerous driving, we will be increasing patrols, carrying out vehicle and driver checks and delivering educational messages on road safety.

Officers will be tackling those who put others at risk by committing one of the ‘fatal five’ – drink and drug driving, excessive speed, driving without due care and attention/dangerous driving, driving while not wearing a seatbelt, or using a mobile phone at the wheel.

The teams will also be working alongside partner agencies to stop those driving in unroadworthy vehicles.

Officers will be looking out for defects/issues such as:

• bald tyres
• window tints
• cracked windscreens
• overloaded vehicles and unsafe loads.

Those found committing these offences will be issued with a traffic offence report (TOR) and, if applicable, will have the opportunity to rectify their vehicles on site before driving away.

Sergeant Derek Kitcher, the officer leading this campaign, said:

"While many motorists drive carefully and within the law, some drive recklessly and endanger other road users and pedestrians.

"Through our involvement in this campaign, we hope to educate drivers on road safety and reduce the number of casualties on our roads.

"Those caught driving dangerously will be prosecuted, and those driving unroadworthy vehicles will be issued with traffic offence reports and instructed to sort the issue."

PC Thomas Purdue, a GoSafe officer, said:

“GoSafe will be participating in Brake’s road safety week and using the opportunity to emphasise the responsibility we all have to keep each other safe on the road - no matter how we're using them.

“Our vehicles will be enforcing across Wales and our operational teams will be working with partners throughout the week, assisting in operations to educate road users, as we continue to work towards reducing casualties across Wales.”

Alongside vehicle checks, officers will also be working alongside ophthalmologists who will be carrying out roadside eyesight checks.

If drivers fail these checks, the DVLA will be notified and their licence will be suspended. They will then have to go for an appointment with an optician.

Superintendent Mike Richards said:

"In the lead up to the festive season, there will be more people on our roads. From Christmas shopping to visiting family, it's a busy time of year for many people.

"Throughout the year, we take part in several road safety campaigns and ongoing operations to reiterate one simple message: do not risk your life, or the lives of others, by driving dangerously.

"Our officers work hard alongside our partners 365 days a year to keep the roads of Gwent safe."

The campaign comes just a few weeks before the RPSO team begin their Christmas road safety campaign, which will see officers fully engaged in a national campaign based around education. Officers will be carrying out increased roadside spot checks, as well as targeting known offenders and hotspot areas.

Be safe on the roads

During the colder, wetter months, ensuring that your vehicle has no defects is vital. Make sure that your tyres are suitable for the wet and icy weather and have a good grip.

If you see someone driving dangerously, or believe someone is driving under the influence, please call 101 or report it via our social media channels.

In an emergency, always dial 999.