The Safer Essex Roads Partnership (SERP), alongside partners, delivered another proactive and highly visible day of enforcement and engagement activity across Canvey Island, continuing efforts to improve road safety and tackle risky behaviour in Essex.
The engagement team attended William Read Primary School and spoke with more than 180 children, parents and carers about Vision Zero and staying safe on the roads, with many welcoming staff and families welcoming the visible road safety presence around the school gates.
At Knightswick Shopping Centre, they spoke with local businesses and members of the public throughout the day. More than 20 businesses were visited and over 300 residents and passers-by spoke with the team about road safety concerns locally. The public response was overwhelmingly supportive, with many residents pleased to see road safety education and enforcement activity taking place on Canvey Island.
At the Waterside enforcement site, 34 drivers and passengers were spoken to by Essex Police about the Fatal Four offences- not wearing a seatbelt, distraction, drink/ drug driving, and speeding, alongside the impact risky driving behaviour has on serious and fatal collisions in Essex. Officers encountered several notable incidents throughout the day, including a young driver worried he may lose his licence after being caught using a mobile phone while already carrying penalty points, and a mature driver who failed an eyesight test at seven metres. Three drug drive arrests were made, including one driver found to be driving with no insurance and only a provisional licence. One driver stopped for mobile phone use later failed a roadside drug wipe; officers also arrested a suspect following a failed stop involving a stolen vehicle displaying false number plates.
Enforcement activity across the district resulted in 28 seatbelt offences, 31 mobile phone offences, seven careless driving offences and seven uninsured vehicles being seized. Officers also dealt with offences relating to no MOTs, illegal number plates, a stolen vehicle, and illegal window tints.
Speed enforcement activity across Benfleet, Basildon, and Canvey Island, which included:
- Rayleigh Road – A13 Bread and Cheese Hill and Leigh on Sea: 53 offences captured, with the highest speed 44mph in a 30mph limit.
- Basildon Cranes Farm: 28 offences captured.
- Canvey Island across four sites: 20 offences captured, including one vehicle travelling at 44mph in a 30mph limit.
The operation captured over 100 offences and once again highlighted the value of combining education, engagement, and enforcement to improve safety on our roads and support communities across Essex.
