Police use lorries to catch drivers using mobile phones

♦ Unmarked lorries are to be used by police in a bid to stop people from driving while using their phones.

Highways England has revealed it will fund three HGV “supercabs” after a test of the scheme caught more than 4,000 dangerous drivers in two years.

The cabs are able to film people who are not wearing seat belts or who are using their phones with the use of wide-angle cameras. Police officers will be able to film evidence of unsafe driving by pulling up alongside vehicles, and any drivers at fault will then be stopped by police cars following behind.

Richard Leonard, Highways England’s head of road safety, said: “Highways England has been funding a single cab for the past couple of years and we’ve been impressed with the impact it’s had on improving safety.”

In total, 28 police forces have taken part in the HGV cab safety initiative since it began in April 2015, pulling over 4,176 drivers in relation to 5,039 offences in its first two years.

Nearly two-thirds of the drivers stopped were illegally using a mobile phone. Eating, steering with knees and even brushing teeth behind the wheel were other offences.

Last year, the Government doubled the penalty for drivers caught using their phones at the wheel. Motorists now receive six penalty points on their driving licence and a £200 fine.