Mobile phone use and no seatbelt among offences caught by North Wales Police HGV unit
North Wales Police stopped 49 drivers for road offences during an operation using an unmarked heavy goods vehicle to observe drivers from an elevated position.
Officers from the Roads Crime Unit took part in Op Tramline, a national roads policing initiative run in partnership with National Highways, which provides a specialist HGV for use by forces across the UK.
The date of the operation was not stated in the force’s announcement, published on 10 April 2026.
The cab height of the HGV gives officers a clear view into passing vehicles, with offences captured on camera and relayed to colleagues in marked and unmarked cars waiting to stop drivers.
Of the 49 offences recorded, 22 involved drivers not wearing a seatbelt and 11 involved drivers using a mobile phone at the wheel.
Four due care offences, four insecure load offences, and three construction and use offences were also recorded.
The remaining five offences were not itemised in the force’s breakdown.
Among the incidents observed was a driver with one foot on the dashboard watching a film on their phone, who veered in front of the HGV.
Sergeant Danny Rees of the Roads Crime Unit said: “Officers identified just under 50 offences during their patrols including mobile phone use, failing to wear a seatbelt, insecure loads and driving without due care and attention.
“Keeping our roads safe remains a top priority for North Wales Police, and the number of offences identified demonstrates why proactive operations like this are so important.
“Using a mobile phone while driving and not wearing a seatbelt are both part of the ‘Fatal 5’ — the leading causes of serious and fatal collisions on our roads.
“Disappointingly, these were among the most common offences detected.
“Choosing to commit one of the Fatal 5 offences puts not only the driver at risk, but also other road users.
“This is not the first time we have deployed the Op Tramline HGV, and it will not be the last.
“Operations like this will continue to target those who put others at risk through dangerous driving.”
North Wales Police has carried out three previous Op Tramline deployments in recent months.
In August 2025, almost 90 offences were recorded, including mobile phone use, no seatbelt, abnormal loads, no insurance, and defective tyres.
A December 2025 deployment uncovered 57 offences including mobile phone use, no seatbelt, and drug driving.
A further operation in February 2026 identified 48 similar offences.
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