M6 safety crackdown: Police in secret operation stop 400 drivers, including 98 using their mobiles on the motorway

Lancashire police joined forces with those from Merseyside, Cheshire, Warwickshire, the Central Motorway Police Group, as well as the North West Commercial Vehicle Unit and road safety partnerships in the crackdown.

Police caught 98 drivers using mobile phones illegally at the wheel and 100 people not wearing a seatbelt during the recent week of action, tagged Operation Vertebrae,

In total there were 412 vehicles stopped by police using the unmarked cabs, supplied by National Highways, including 180 HGVs and 122 private vehicles.

Action taken ranged from words of advice or fixed penalty notices to traffic offences being reported and even six arrests.

The North West Commercial Vehicle Unit recorded 97 offences across the five days – 11 of which involved drivers using a mobile phone at the wheel.

A total of 41 drivers were handed graduated fixed penalty notices totalling £16,800 and a further five drivers given words of advice.

Operation Vertebrae took place along the length of the M6, the longest motorway in the country.

National Highways deals with around 180 reported incidents on the M6 every day including a large number of traffic collisions – 3,485 in 2021.

National Highways Head of Road Safety, Jeremy Phillips, said: “It is always disappointing when we learn of drivers putting themselves and others at risk through unsafe driving such as using a mobile phone at the wheel.

"But through this week of action police were able to identify almost 400 offences and halt drivers who could have caused collisions and harm if they hadn’t been pulled over.”