Police to step up traffic patrols to cut casualties
BIKERS and motorists using Halton’s roads are being urged to remain vigilant on the roads over the warmer summer months.
Roads policing officers will be out and about on the borough’s network ensuring drivers and riders are safe.
They are also continuing to educate road users and enforce the law to drive home the road safety message.
Last year as part of an operation across Cheshire, a police spokesman said officers witnessed and prosecuted 39 riders for dangerous riding.
Sentences include disqualification, fines, community service and suspended prison sentences.
The operation will continue this year.
Superintendent Martin Cleworth said: “We want to reduce the number of collisions in Cheshire involving motorcyclists.
“They make up approximately 1% of all road users but last year alone there were 111 riders killed or seriously injured on our network.
“This is disproportionate and we want this to change. We need to encourage motorists to be more vigilant and recog- ● nise the vulnerability of those on two wheels especially at junctions – and make sure those on bikes are complying with speed limits to keep themselves safe. We’ll be out on marked and unmarked bikes and in patrol cars with video enabled technology on key routes which we’ve identified and those caught driving dangerously or in an antisocial manner will be prosecuted.
“We want people to enjoy using Cheshire’s roads together and be considerate of other users.
“In support of this we have recently launched the ‘dash cam’ initiative. This enables anyone with footage of offending drivers to submit it via our website with a statement of the facts and then we will, where appropriate, take the prosecution for- ward from there.
“This is an important scheme that we want the public to support as it sends a strong message to those flouting the law that they never know who will be recording their actions.”
Cheshire Police And Crime Commissioner David Keane said: “Road safety is one of the issues that residents tell me they are concerned about, so it’s great to see that officers are continuing to ensure that road safety is a priority for all our communities.
“I have great admiration for the work undertaken by our roads policing team, who deal with thousands of incidents every year.
“However, much of their work could be entirely avoidable if all motorists, whether they are driving cars or riding motorbikes, took extra care when out on Cheshire’s roads.”