A HGV driver was caught by an undercover police officer eating from a bowl whilst driving on the M1. The driver was stopped after he was spotted with no hands on the steering wheel. Leicestershire Police were out on patrol on the regions motorways as part of Operation Tramline where an unmarked HGV patrols the M1 and A1 so that officers can monitor HGV drivers. Other driver offences during the operation included not wearing a seatbelt and use of a mobile phone. Leicestershire Police's tweet sums it up perfectly -

"And here it is.... driving a 44 tonne potential killing machine whilst cleaning your bowl!! ... neither hand properly holding the steering wheel. This is NOT acceptable in any way! Driver dealt with accordingly!"

Operation Tramline is run five times a year by Leicestershire Police and helps them detect and record people driving unsafely on the regions roads. People that are caught driving unsafely can be issued a traffic offence report (TOR), or dealt with on the spot for not driving with care and attention. The officer will submit the TOR to the Traffic Process Unit, who will decide on the most appropriate way to deal with the alleged offence which could include points and fines. Would your drivers tell you if they have been issued a TOR or dealt with on the spot? How many drivers tell you about new points on their licence? The answer is not many and the only way to be sure of the status of your drivers’ licences is to check them regularly against DVLA data. SmartLicence is an automatic online driving licence verification service. The frequency of checks is determined by the risk profile of a driver, more points = more frequent checks.   SmartAlerts will let you know if the driver has any new offences, points etc since the last check so that the risk they carry can be managed. Get a quote for SmartLicence. Source: LiecestershireLive