Police tackling the ‘fatal four’

In the first two weeks of a two-month-long operation to reduce road-related crime and deaths, 209 vehicles have been stopped at check points across the district.

Notts Police launched Operation Doncella as a result of an increase in the number of incidents relating to the ‘fatal four’ offences.

Between 1st January and 30th April six people were killed and 28 seriously injured in road collisions in the district. During the same period in 2011, four died and 41 were seriously injured.

“While the rate of people killed or seriously injured in collisions in the north of the county has steadily reduced since the mid-1980s, the last couple of years have seen it start to increase again,” said Ch Insp Sean Anderson

“Drink driving, speeding, mobile phone use and seatbelt negligence are the top four causes of death on our roads and we are taking positive action to try to reverse a rising trend of collisions involving these offences.”

Along with checkpoints, officers are doing targeted patrols and working with schools to educate future motorists on road safety.

So far 47 fines have been issued for not wearing seatbelts. Nine motorists also face fines and points for speeding and four for using phones while driving.

Sixty-one motorists gave roadside breath tests, with three arrested on suspicion of drink driving. Three vehicles were seized for being unfit for the road or their drivers lacking a licence or insurance.

Ch Insp Anderson added: “As you can see from the results already coming in, this sort of directed policing activity is not only detecting offenders of the fatal four, it is also putting other criminals, who use our road networks to commit their crimes, on our radar.”