North Yorkshire Police’s Operation Boundary has continuing, and we joined a traffic officer on Sunday, 18 April 2021.
During the first part of 2020, those being killed or seriously injured on the roads of North Yorkshire was on the increase, and it is believed that the first lockdown curtailed the problem.
Now in April 2021, we have the combination of nicer weather, the removal of travel restrictions, a much higher volume of vehicles on the roads and drivers not used to driving as much as they would have been in previous years.
Operation Boundary was set up by North Yorkshire Police.
- Speeding, especially in villages and on A-roads that are typically affected by a large volume of speeding vehicles
- Drink and drug driving
- Dangerous driving or riding, such as overtaking on double white lines
- Vehicle defects or illegal/uninsured modifications. This will include illegal number plates and exhausts, which will now be tested at the roadside with official equipment to ensure they are within legal noise levels
- Document offences, such as not having insurance, tax or the correct driving licence
- Perverting the course of justice offences, when motorists obscure or re-angle their rear number plate to try to avoid detection. This can carry a prison sentence.
We joined Sergeant Pete Stringer from Skipton Police Station for his Sunday shift. In the Craven Area of North Yorkshire, specifically the Ribblehead Viaduct to Settle area. The area is known popular area for both walkers and bikers.
We certainly witnessed many bikers riding significantly above the speed limit and drifting dangerously over the road. These are roads surrounded by trees or dry stone walls, so the likelihood of a serious injury would be high.
Sergeant Peter Stringer, Roads Policing Group, North Yorkshire police, said:
Today has gone fantastically well, I need to collate all the figures from the other Traffic Officers that have been in the area also from the camera van. I have issued 10 tickets, 9 were to motorbikes. Most have been illegal number plates, one for going over a double white line, one driving without due care,
Luckily though we didn’t go to any motorbike bumps, although there is still time this evening, there’s plenty of bikes out there.
The Safety Camera Vans and tow other plain cars were also out and I know they made a couple of seizures with drivers not holding insurance.
The aim is to help keep down the number of KSI’s, that’s killed and seriously injured, we have had the one incident in Craven today, involving a caravan. There’ s still time for an incident as there are plenty of motorbikes travelling excessively quickly.
At the moment we have kept a lid on it, we have been visible to the public, and hopefully the message is getting through.
