Offences detected as ‘Surround a Town’ visits Maldon

More than 100 traffic offences were detected during a recent ‘Surround a Town’ event in Maldon – the majority of which were either seat belt or speed related.

Organised by the Safer Essex Roads Partnership (SERP), Surround a Town sees resources focussed on a tight geographical area, often where there are high rates of collisions and casualties.

The initiative uses a combination of enforcement and engagement to highlight the importance of safe and legal driving.

The latest Surround a Town day took place in Maldon on 17 July, with a total of 109 vehicles stopped by officers.

In total 63 seat belt offences were detected – despite a recent plea for drivers to buckle up and familiarise themselves with seat belt laws.

Statistics show that despite compliance rates of 98.6% among British car drivers, 27% of those killed in cars in 2017 were not wearing a seat belt – amounting to more than 200 deaths

Meanwhile, 34 speeding offences were detected – with the help of a TruCam handheld speed enforcement device.

A further seven drivers were caught using a mobile phone at the wheel – with two child car seat issues identified.

In terms of education, road safety officers located on Maldon High Street spoke to 60 members of the public on a range of road safety issues.