Latest fight against dodgy lorry drivers: Police trucks marked like patrol cars

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 9:31 AM on 30th October 2010

They have long been the bane of drivers on the motorway.

But now dodgy lorry drivers are to be targeted with police's latest weapon - a truck decorated like a panda car.

The HGV cabin comes complete with blue-flashing lights and the blue and yellow liveried pattern that is used on regular patrol cars.

Extra height: The Metropolitan Police hope that their own trucks will help them to catch dodgy drivers

Riding high: The Metropolitan Police hope that their own trucks will give them a higher view to help them to catch dodgy drivers

In the past it has been hard for officers to catch truckers breaking the law because the cabs are too high to see inside from their patrol cars.

Reckless drivers who have used phones or even watched DVDs while they have been driving have all escaped the law.

But by using an unmarked truck themselves, police are at the same height and are able to film drivers which is then used as evidence.

The uniformed officer in the police wagon follows the drivers before pulling them over on the shoulder.

The Metropolitan Police's new HGV will be unveiled at Earl’s Court from next Thursday until Sunday as part of the Top Gear Live show.

The HGV will also be used to educate lorry drivers and cyclists of the dangers of blind spots, especially a cab’s left-hand turn blind spot, a major cause of cyclist fatalities.

Cyclists are also being invited into the cab to see how a driver’s vision can be restricted.

The height is also useful for checking on drivers of vehicles such as horse boxes.

Last month, model Katie Price was fined £1,000 by Mid Sussex magistrates and given three penalty points for sending a text message while driving her pink horsebox.

Forces in the West Midlands first used the idea earlier this year in a crackdown on lorry drivers.

Department of Transport figures show that although goods vehicles account for only 10 per cent of all motorway traffic they are involved in nearly a third of all collisions.

Former trucker Gus Nairn, of Central Motorway Police Group, said being at the same height as other lorries is a real advantage.

He said the truck gives an 'elevated position where you can see in the cab which is something you don't normally have the benefit of in a patrol car'.