The Safer Essex Roads Partnership (SERP) carried out a coordinated Vision Zero Day of Action in Clacton, combining enforcement, education, and community engagement to make local roads safer.
The collaborative approach allowed officers and partners to “surround the town”, working with schools, businesses, residents, and volunteers to promote safer road behaviour and tackle offences linked to serious collisions.
Enforcement activity
Officers carried out roadside checks across the area, identifying a range of offences.
During the operation:
- 28 mobile phone offences were recorded
- 20 seatbelt offences were detected
- Two drivers were reported for having no insurance
- Four dangerous condition offences were issued
In addition, six vehicles were seized, and one driver was arrested on suspicion of drug driving.
Speed enforcement was also carried out across four sites, where 27 speeding offences were detected across three locations, while no offences were recorded at the fourth site, which was encouraging to see.
Engaging the community
Education and engagement formed a key part of the day. The team began the morning at Holland Park Primary School, working alongside their partners, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, and the North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP).
More than 200 parents, carers and children were spoken to about road safety, including information about the Government’s Young Driver Consultation. During the school visit, the Parking Partnership also issued 12 penalty notices to drivers parked on the yellow zig-zag markings, helping keep the school entrance clear and safe.
Taking Vision Zero to the High Street
The engagement team also toured Clacton town centre, speaking with around 150 members of the public and visiting 35 local businesses to discuss road safety and Vision Zero.
Businesses visited included Holland and Barrett, Age UK, Boots Opticians, Specsavers, Tendering Community Transport, Princes Theatre and Town Hall, Clacton Driving Test Centre, Community Voluntary Services Tendring and Clacton Library, where officers even stopped for a chat with the local Knit and Natter group.
Community Speed Watch support
Local volunteers also played an important role in the day. Great Bentley Community Speed Watch carried out monitoring on Plough Road, recording 76 vehicles travelling above the 30mph speed limit.
Of those:
- 17 vehicles were travelling at speeds of 36mph or more, including six travelling above 40mph.
- The highest speed recorded was 45mph.
Volunteers also identified one vehicle with a registration that did not match DVLA records, and another where tax and MOT appeared to have expired for more than four years, both of which were reported separately.
Working together for safer roads
The day demonstrated the power of partnership working, bringing together enforcement, education, and community support to improve safety across Clacton.
Activities like this support the county’s Vision Zero ambition – to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on Essex roads by 2040 or sooner.
