Police Operation Aimed at Reducing Deaths and Serious Injuries on North Wales Roads Continues

A police operation aimed at reducing deaths and serious injuries on the roads resulted in fifty tickets for various motoring offences being issued over the weekend.

As part of Operation Darwen officers from the Roads Policing Unit undertook patrols at ket hotspots over the weekend.

Fifty TORs (Traffic Offence Report) tickets were issued – the majority for driving or riding at excess speed.

One of the first tickets was issued before 9am where a motorcyclist was caught contravening white lines on the A5 at Capel Curig. The rider, who is local to the area, was stopped and spoken to where he fully accepted that it was his own fault.

Over the weekend patrols were carried out in areas such as the A5 from Capel Curig to Llangollen, the A494 from Bala towards Dolgellau, the A470 and up the Horseshoe Pass.

Two drivers were dealt with for speeding on the EVO Triangle near Llyn Brenig – one was caught driving his Volkswagen EOS at 79mph and another driving his Peugeot at 80mph. The road has a 60mph limit.

A motorcyclist, who had travelled to North Wales for the day, was stopped in Cerrigydrudion for having an illegal number plate. He was issued with a TOR. His friends, all motorcyclists, also stopped and the officer took the opportunity to speak to them. They were happily sent on their way.

A father and son, who were traveling in convoy together, were stopped whilst on their motorcycles near Bala for speeding. Tickets were issued including words of advice.

A total of fifty tickets were issued for offences such as contravening white lines, riding or driving at excess speed, illegal number plates, seatbelt offence, illegal exhausts and a Section 165 seizure for having no licence.

A man was also arrested after it was discovered he was wanted by West Midlands Police. The 27-year-old from Walsall was initially stopped after being caught driving a BMW X5 at 90mph on a 60mph road in Ty Nant.

Sergeant Jason Diamond from the Roads Policing Unit said: “Reducing casualties on our roads remains one of our top priorities and patrols as part of Operation Darwen will continue over the coming months.

“During 2016 86 motorcyclists/pillion passengers were killed or seriously injured on the roads of North Wales – a slight increase from 84 in 2015. Riding around bends, near junctions, overtaking and loss of control were the majority of the causation factors.

“The message we’d like to get across is please enjoy the freedom of the routes. It is a fantastic area for motorcyclists, and as a passionate biker myself, I want riders to be able to enjoy our region safely.

“Operation Darwen isn’t all about motorcyclists. We look at all motorists as part of the campaign and we will continue to target, with a view to prosecution, all those that ride or drive dangerously, at excess speed, overtake on solid white lines or commit any other road traffic offences.”

Throughout the campaign colleagues from the Armed Alliance Unit will be deployed on Operation Darwen routes, looking at all motorists to provide a highly visible police presence at the main locations. As part of the operation the Roads Policing Unit will use various tactics – such as using covert vehicles and Go Safe vans will also be deployed.

Road users who witness and capture incidents of dangerous driving, riding or cycling via their dash cams are asking people to consider submitting them to the Force as part of Operation Snap.

Operation Snap was launched back in October, in response to the ever increasing submissions of video and photographic evidence from people who have witnessed driving offences on the roads of North Wales.

Further information, including instructions on how to submit evidence is available via the North Wales Police website.

Social media users can also follow the ongoing road safety campaign via the #OpDarwen #RideSafely and #DriveSafely hashtags.