LONDON, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Britain's new highway patrol was rolled out Monday by Highways England, and features a fleet of high-visibility police cars and unmarked freight trucks to catch drivers breaking the law.
The vehicles look like a standard heavy goods vehicle (HGV) used for transporting freight by road across the country, but are fitted with hidden blue-flashing lights, wide-angle cameras, and can travel at up to 112 km/h.
Highways England is to fund the new unmarked HGV cabs after a single one used by police forces helped catch over 4,000 dangerous drivers in just two years.
The new cabs will patrol motorways and busy main roads to capture unsafe driving behavior. Police officers will be able to film evidence of unsafe driving behavior by pulling up alongside vehicles. Drivers will then be pulled over by police cars following behind.
Richard Leonard, head of road safety at Highways England, said: "We have been funding a single cab for the past couple of years and we've been impressed with the impact it's had on improving safety. We've found that the vast majority of drivers are sensible behind the wheel but a few have got into bad habits, or are simply ignoring the law and putting themselves and others at risk."
In total, 28 police forces have taken part in the HGV cab safety initiative since it began in April 2015.
Nearly two thirds of the 4,176 drivers who were stopped were illegally using a mobile phone while driving, despite the latest statistics showing that mobile phone use is a factor in an average of two road deaths every month.
Offences have included a driver who was found to have sent 10 replies to 10 texts within one hour; a driver who was seen trying to put toothpaste on a toothbrush; and a driver spotted steering with his knees while eating his lunch and using his mobile phone.
Last year, the government doubled the penalty for drivers caught using their phones while at the wheel. Motorists now receive six points on their license and a 200 pound (276 U.S. dollars) fine.
