More than 200 people have either been arrested or given a ticket as part of a week of action to clamp down on dangerous drivers in Lancashire.

The county’s police force says the week of surge activity was all about its most vulnerable road users – namely children, the elderly, pedestrians, mobility device users, horse-riders, cyclists and motorcyclists – “and how we can all do our bit to safeguard them”.

As part of the week, the Roads Policing officers stopped:

• 28 people arrested for drink or drug-driving
• 13 people using a mobile phone at the wheel
• 12 people not wearing seatbelts – including two children
• 24 people speeding
• 156 people given traffic offence reports

They say they saw:

• A drunk driver in Preston who hit a fence and a wheelie bin and then fell out of his car when he was stopped by officers. He was found to be more than four times the legal limit for alcohol
• Three stolen cars in convoy, two of which made off down the M61 in the wrong direction and one of which made off at 150mph down the M61. The latter was eventually stopped after colliding with a fence and hitting an electrical box in Chorley.
• A drug-driver who told us he had never touched cannabis, despite the smell and a drug wipe telling us otherwise.
• A driver pulled over because he and his passenger were seen inhaling balloons, with £700 of nitrous oxide subsequently found in the car.

Those targeted included people seen committing the ‘fatal five’ offences of driving under the influence of drink or drugs, speeding, using a mobile phone at the wheel, not wearing a seatbelt or otherwise driving in a dangerous way.

Ch Insp Matt Willmot, of the Lancashire Roads Policing Unit, said: “We know people who drive dangerously are the minority, however they are a minority who cause heartbreak and chaos in our county and we will not stand for it.

“This last week has been about highlighting that certain members of our communities are more vulnerable than others – and that we can all play a part in keeping those people safe on the road.

“The statistics for collisions where vulnerable road users are killed or seriously injured are shocking and what we want to see is a county where people can drive, walk or ride along our roads and be safe.

“As always we encourage all road users, including cyclists and horse-riders, to use dashcam and to report any offences caught on camera to us through Op Snap. We also urge motorists to report any dangerous driving to us, whether that is drink or drug-driving, speeding or someone regularly using a mobile phone at the wheel.”

Andy Pratt MBE, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire, said: “We know that certain groups who use the roads, such as cyclists and motorbikes, horse riders or on foot, disproportionately account for those killed or seriously injured in collisions, so any opportunity to raise awareness of additional risks and precautions every road user can take, can only be a positive step.

“Targeting dangerous drivers is a priority in Commissioner Andrew Snowden’s Fighting Crime Plan, and through both engagement and enforcement, Lancashire Constabulary and other partners are working to protect the public and remove those who drive recklessly, putting themselves and other at risk, from our roads.

“Through enforcement from new average speed cameras, the newly formed Roads Policing Unit, the use of Op Snap allowing the public to submit dashcam footage and getting tough on drink and drug drivers, we’re continuing work to make every road in Lancashire safer and save lives.”

(File picture – Yay Images)