Fatal five under the spotlight in Cheshire

Cheshire Constabulary is looking to shine the spotlight on the ‘fatal five’ this month to help tackle the number of serious and fatal collisions.

Across the UK, July typically sees the highest number of fatal and serious collisions, many of which are caused by the one of the fatal five offences -

• Careless driving
• Drink and drug driving
• Not wearing a seatbelt
• Using a mobile phone
• Speeding

To help tackle the issue and help reduce the number of serious and fatal collisions, Cheshire Constabulary is taking part in Operation Spotlight.

The operation, which got underway on Monday 1 July, is a national operation which is aimed at educating road users about the dangers of the fatal five.

Chief Inspector John Forshaw, of the Roads and Crime Unit at Cheshire Police, said:

“This operation is about engaging with as many road users as possible, promoting road safety, and enforcing road traffic legislation where necessary and proportionate.

“We want all road users to think about how they drive, consider the conditions of the road and assess their surroundings to help reduce the risk of serious and fatal collisions.

“Fatal collisions are heart-breaking. They are heart-breaking for the family, heart-breaking for the community, and heart-breaking for the responding emergency services staff who have to witness the tragedy and subsequent aftermath – all made worse knowing that many could have been prevented.

“We want people to think about how they use the road network and how they can do it safely.”

As well as educating road users, officers from the Roads and Crime Unit will also be undertaking additional enforcement activity throughout the month, specifically targeting motorists breaching the fatal five offences.

Inspector Anton Sullivan, of the Cheshire Police’s Roads and Crime Unit, added:

“We are always extremely proactive in our approach to tackling offending motorists and are committed to doing all we can to make our roads safer for everyone.

“We do not simply do this for the sake of it, we do it to save people’s lives.

“It is crucial we engage with and educate motorists on how to use the roads safely - and enforce the law when they are not. If you speed in Cheshire, or commit any of the other Fatal five offences, we will take action.”