Police thank drivers for staying at home

Warwickshire Police’s roads policing team has publicly thanked drivers across the county for staying at home and only using the roads for essential travel.

Inspector Jem Mountford said: “Whilst the NHS is working at full stretch to look after those with COVID-19, this is just one way the public of Warwickshire can support our incredible NHS workers who are working so hard on our behalf.

“We all have a responsibility to ease the strain currently being placed on the NHS and only travelling for essential reasons is something we can all contribute towards the fight against COVID-19.

“However, if you do need to drive, please take extra care by doing everything you can to avoid collisions and casualties - reduce your speed, wear a seatbelt, drive sober and alert, and stop your vehicle to use a mobile phone. Please make this your pledge to help the emergency services particularly the NHS by reducing your risk of being seriously injured or killed if you are in a collision.”

The force is also asking motorcycle riders to please take extra care and slow down. It has recommended that bikers make use of the time they have to get their bikes ready and to look at the resources on line to brush up their skills, such as: https://www.think.gov.uk/campaign/motorcycling/

Speed kills whether a road is empty or not. With a decrease in traffic it may be tempting to speed, but drivers and riders are reminded that speed limits still apply and are being enforced.

Traffic offence reports continue to be issued for a variety of traffic offences including no insurance, no tax, and not wearing a seatbelt.

The force is also asking cyclists, particularly families that may cycle together as their daily exercise, to stick to places they would normally cycle and not be tempted onto the faster roads because they think they are quiet and therefore safe.

Pedestrians and runners also need to take extra care and not to be lulled into a false sense of security by empty roads, particularly at junctions.

Inspector Mountford said: “One benefit of the lockdown to the police is that we are able to deploy our resources to incidents more quickly and effectively across the force to take proactive action. “