Lorry drivers caught watching DVDs - jamie745

Two lorry drivers were caught watching DVDs while on major roads in Leicestershire in a police operation.

Officers used a heavy goods vehicle of their own to spy on drivers on the M1 and A1.

The three-day operation ran from Tuesday to Thursday and caught 90 drivers for a variety of offences.

Leicestershire Police said it was to cut down on drink-driving, not wearing a seatbelt, using a phone and speeding, known as the fatal four.

The force said the lorry drivers were watching foreign language films as they were not from the UK.

PC Russ Davies said police often had reports of lorry drivers watching DVDs on laptops, but it was usually difficult to prove.

"Invariably when drivers do it they start veering off onto the hard shoulder," he said

"Because of the height they are at it's difficult to prove they are watching a film, as some of them have sat-navs on their computers as well.

"So unless we can get up and see what they are doing we can't prosecute them."

Of the 90 drivers caught during the operation, 52 were not wearing a seatbelt and were given £60 fines.

Another 21 were using a mobile phone, six were said to be not in proper control of their vehicles and two were watching DVDs. All were given a £60 fine with three points on their licence.

A further nine were caught driving longer than they should and were given a mixture of warnings and fines.

Dave Galloway was one lorry driver caught not wearing a seatbelt.

He said: "I didn't realise I was supposed to be wearing a seatbelt in a truck. I always wear one in the car.

"But they caught me bang to rights, you've got no choice really."

PC Davies added: "There's just that small minority who think, perhaps by their height, they are going to be immune from prosecution.

"What we are trying to achieve is to let them know we are out looking for these offences."

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Source: BBC

Lorry drivers caught watching DVDs - NARU

I passed an LGV driver on the M40 who was reading a book at the wheel!

Lorry drivers caught watching DVDs - Collos25

They make coffee watch TV you have to break the boredom somehow.It amazes me even when they are caught the punishment is so light after all its not an error of judgement but a premeditated action.

Lorry drivers caught watching DVDs - Bobbin Threadbare

I met a chap in the week who told me a tale about a lorry driver. This driver had tipped his artic into a field, flat on its side, after swerving and falling over the motorway barrier. No problems. He goes back to work. A month or two later, he wiped out my new acquaintance's truck, a car and the motorway barrier by swerving onto the hard shoulder. He also caused the people standing by the vehicles to fall over the embankment. He'd been driving for 5 hours over his daily limit at this point to get back to Scotland. He didn't get a custodial sentence 'because luckily nobody was killed'.

Lorry drivers caught watching DVDs - Engineer Andy

I remember HJ remarking in a response in his DT column that he was still amazed (as am I) how its legal for someone to set something on fire whilst driving and keep hold of it in one hand whilst you drive with the other - of course, referring to cigarettes.

Lorry drivers caught watching DVDs - jamie745

Wait for unthrottled to come along and tell us how marvellous these lorryists are.

£60 fine and 3 points for that? Probably get more for speeding.

Edited by jamie745 on 09/12/2012 at 21:42

Lorry drivers caught watching DVDs - veryoldbear

"Lorryists" ... I like it, nearly as good as "banksters"

Lorry drivers caught watching DVDs - davecooper

When will the morons in power realise the gravity of an HGV driver not being in full control of his vehicle (i.e. watching DVD's) and punish accordingly. Lets keep the good ones on the road and kick the dangerous ones off, period.

Lorry drivers caught watching DVDs - gordonbennet

Not as simple as good ones on bad ones off, as with everything else its down to cost, cheapest is best is the new mantra.

Lorry driving used to be hard physical work and required toughness strength skill and an aptitude, it attracted a certain breed of man or woman that could do and in general was rewarded accordingly, thats no longer the case.