The shocking moment HGV driver with no seatbelt swears at police while on A1(M)

The shocking discovery was made by officers from North Yorkshire Police, who were on an operation attempting to find dangerous and reckless drivers. 

During the operation, police also found a man eating his breakfast at the wheel and another HGV driver typing two-handed at the wheel.

As part of Operation Tramline, National Highways provided five police forces with HGV cabs, including North Yorkshire, Durham and Northumbria, to patrol various sections of the network including the A1.

A HGV driver swearing at police (Image: HIGHWAYS) It was during one patrol that officers from North Yorkshire Police found the HGV driver sticking his middle finger up when it dawned on him he had been spotted wearing no seatbelt.

Operation Tramline was first launched in 2015 with a new approach to tackling dangerous driving and giving police forces a vantage point to watch out for driver behaviour that could lead to or cause a fatality or serious injury on our motorways and A-roads. 

National Highways provides police forces with HGV cabs for them to patrol roads within their jurisdiction. From an elevated position, an officer in the passenger seat can observe and record anyone flouting the rules of the roads.  

Officers in a separate police vehicle are alerted to the offence and the associated vehicle and the driver is then pulled over and any relevant enforcement action is taken.

Nearly 50,000 offences have been recorded since its launch and consequences for drivers range from warnings to fixed penalty notices, court summons or arrest.  

A driver eating breakfast at the wheel on the A1(M) (Image: HIGHWAYS) During Operation Tramline, more than 190 offences were recorded by five forces in North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Northumbria and Durham.

Each force used the HGV cabs between Monday, November 4 and Friday, December 13.  

These included 60 drivers not wearing seatbelts and a further 64 using a mobile phone at the wheel.

Recommended reading: 

Get more content including the stories that matter to your community from The Northern Echo.

Inspector Clive Turner from North Yorkshire Police said:  “Reducing the number of people who are killed and seriously injured on the 6,000 miles of roads that we police remains a key priority for the force.

“Holding a driving licence is a privilege and not a right, however a small minority of people take it for granted, and it is always disappointing to find so many drivers who are prepared to put their life and others’ lives at risk for the sake of not wearing a seat belt or checking their mobile phones. 

“We’re grateful to our partners at National Highways for facilitating the use of the tractor unit. I hope that our use of this vehicle sends a clear message that driving irresponsibly is unacceptable and we will continue to take action against those who flout the law on the road network.”