Drivers caught at 100mph as Devon police launch road safety crackdown

Police have carried out a road traffic operation in Dartmoor’s surrounding areas, including Bovey Tracey and Ivybridge, as part of efforts to cut the number of serious and fatal incidents on local roads.

The operation, which also took place in Torbay and the South Hams, involved Special Constables alongside Roads Policing and Patrol officers. 

Drivers were stopped and reminded of the Fatal Five campaign, the five most common causes of death and serious injury on UK roads: distraction (such as mobile phones), not wearing seatbelts, drink or drug driving, speeding, and driver health issues such as poor eyesight.

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With autumn evenings drawing in and weather conditions worsening across Dartmoor and Devon, officers are urging motorists to make sure vehicles are roadworthy and to take extra care when travelling in dark, wet or icy conditions.

Inspector Wes Watkins said: “On this occasion the vast majority of motorists were driving responsibly and lawfully and we thank them for that. It’s important to remind motorists across Devon and Cornwall that we are out and about taking action, especially as the evenings are getting dark, wet and cold which could lead to poor decisions being made when it comes to heading home after a night out. Every day across the UK a number of people are killed on the roads and we want to reduce those incidents.”

During the operation, police arrested three drivers for drink driving, one for failing to stop, and another for dangerous driving. 

ABOVE: Police carrying out a drink drive test (Credit: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Reports were also made for speeding (including one driver travelling over 100mph), driving without a licence, and several vehicle defects.

Officers also detained a man wanted in connection with shoplifting and public order offences.

Police say further operations will take place around Dartmoor and wider Devon in the coming months.

The initiative forms part of the Vision Zero South West partnership, which aims to reduce road deaths. 

One measure already in place is the Night Bus, running across Devon and Cornwall to help reduce drink driving by providing safe and affordable transport home after nights out.

The Moorlander previously reported on another way Vision Zero South West have been trying to crack down on dangerous driving, through the use of AI-powered cameras. 

The Acusensus ‘Heads-Up’ system, trialled across Devon and Cornwall, has detected more than 10,000 mobile phone and seatbelt offences in the past year alone. 

At trial sites in Barnstaple, Callington and Plymouth, detections fell sharply during August 2024, seatbelt offences dropped by 50 per cent and mobile phone use by 33 per cent 

Longer-term results on the A38 at Landrake show seatbelt offences reduced by 83 per cent and mobile phone offences by 80 per cent over three years. 

Adrian Leisk, Devon & Cornwall Police’s Head of Road Safety, said: “Less than 1 per cent of drivers we monitored were committing offences, but the dangers are well documented. Around a third of all fatal collisions nationally involve someone who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, and using a mobile phone behind the wheel significantly increases the risk of a crash.”