http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/police-use-top-deck-of-bus-to-watch-drivers-using-mobile-phones-on-plymouth-s-street/story-30226780-detail/story.htmlThe 41 dodgy drivers caught out by police spying from a secret bus in Plymouth
By Carl_Eve | Posted: March 25, 2017
Police using a double decker bus to crackdown on dodgy driving in Plymouth caught out a string of motorists disobeying the law yesterday.
Officers were on board the specially commissioned Citybus on Friday, using the extra height the bus to get the perfect viewing angle into people's cars as they drove past.
Marked and unmarked police vehicles then responded to any offences that were spotted by the loftily positioned police spotters.
Those caught out yesterday included:
11 not wearing a seatbelt
14 drivers using a mobile phone - with two more taken into custody for the offence
Two vehicles seized for not having insurance
A driver on a moped stopped - resulting in the motorist having no insurance, MOT or tax on the vehicle. Due to the driver's demeanour he was required to provide a sample for a drugs wipe. This resulted as positive and the driver was arrested for being over the prescribed limit
Another driver was stopped for not having a seatbelt and on speaking to the driver a smell of cannabis came from the vehicle. The driver was required to provide a sample for a drugs wipe and was also positive. The driver was arrested for being over the prescribed limit
10 other offences were also reported
Two Plymouth police officers, Pc Andy Llewellyn and Pc Colin Strachan, came up with the innovative approach to spotting bad drivers.
The officers said police regularly dealt with motorists who exhibited what police call the 'fatal five' driving offences – careless driving, mobile phone use, drink and drugs, no seatbelt and speed.
During much of Friday police officers and Specials hopped on board a double-decker, generously supplied by Plymouth Citybus, giving them the perfect eagle-eye view of drivers in their vehicles.
Marked and unmarked police vehicles, including officers on police motorbikes, then responded to any offences that were spotted by the loftily positioned police spotters.
This is the first operation under the No Excuse road safety campaign, pioneered by Essex Police and adopted by Dorset Police. Devon and Cornwall Police say they hope to roll out the campaign across the force area, including the Isles of Scilly.
Officers from Dorset's No Excuse campaign also took part in the operation, riding along with Plymouth police in marked cars,
while taxi licensing staff were also on hand to deal with any private hire or Hackney carriage drivers.wouldn't they have been better employed inspecting taxis and PH at ranks or bases ?The operation concentrated on drivers using phones and other mobile devices handheld while driving, but also picked up a number of drivers on Friday who failed to put their seatbelt on.
Pc Strachan said the operation has followed on from a recent change in the law regarding the use of mobile phones while driving. While it has been illegal since 2003, March 1 saw the penalty doubled to a £200 fine and six points on the driver's license.
During a briefing at Charles Cross police station on Friday morning, he noted the recent horror case where a lorry driver crashed into a number of cars, killing four people, as he became distracted changing music on his mobile phone.
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