Nearly 500 vehicles stopped in the Moorlands as safer roads campaign continues

We stopped nearly 500 vehicles in the Moorlands on a single day as our safer roads campaign continues across Staffordshire.

On Thursday (27 July), officers from the Moorlands local policing team stopped a total of 496 vehicles travelling in the area.

We checked the vehicles were insured, had up-to-date MOT certificates, were being driven safely and drivers were wearing seatbelts.

Safety camera vans were also in Cheadle, Checkley, Kingsley Moor and Tean to make sure road users were driving within the speed limit on key routes across the north of the county.

It comes after a number of fatal road collisions in Staffordshire recently, which have increased by 39 per cent when compared to the pre-Covid-19 baseline (2019-2020). There were seven fatal collisions involving motorcycles in the last 12 months (June 22 to May 23), and three of these took place in the month of May alone.

Speeding is often a factor in collisions and, in the last three years, speed contributed to 32 per cent of crashes in which someone died or was seriously injured.

The activity forms part of our three-week long campaign, called #SaferSummerRoads, as we continue to target motorists who are putting others at risk through speeding and poor road safety awareness.

We launched the initiative on Monday 24 July and have been completing a series of enforcement and education activities across the county – just as people start heading out for holidays, festivals and days out during the peak summer months.

Staffordshire Deputy Commissioner, and Co-chair of the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP), Helen Fisher, said: “Keeping Staffordshire’s roads safe is a key priority for myself and the Commissioner.

“Sadly, too many people continue to die or suffer serious injuries on our roads, with devasting consequences for their families, friends and communities.

“Every life on our roads matters, and operations like this one help to reduce preventable road collisions. We all have a part to play in keeping our roads safe, whether that’s through our own skills and attitudes as drivers, or through making a difference locally by reporting speeding concerns.”

The SSRP is a partnership between public sector organisations within Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, who work together to make our roads safer.

The SSRP aims to achieve a long-term, sustained reduction in road traffic collisions through joint work by partners including Staffordshire Police, Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Staffordshire County Council and National Highways.

To read more about the campaign, visit: #SaferSummerRoads | Staffordshire Police