Police crack-down in Heywood catches 26 drivers

GMP officers carrying out the operation in Heywood town centre

GMP officers dealt with 26 traffic offences on Bridge Street (A58) in Heywood on Tuesday 9 March as part of Operation Considerate.

The offences included dangerous and disqualified driving, driving without insurance, using a phone while driving, and driving without seatbelts.

Bridge Street is part of the A58 which runs (in Greater Manchester) between Wigan and Littleborough has one of the highest rates of collisions within the region, with 480 collisions occurring between December 2017 and July 2020 alone. GMP said that Tuesday's police activity was in response to community concerns around this.

Neighbourhood Roads Policing Manager Peter Bird from GMP's Safer Transport team said: "Many accidents can be avoided by driving carefully, to the conditions on the road and following the laws that are in place to protect us all.

"Collisions are often the result of speeding or being distracted at the wheel - even a moment’s lapse of attention can cause an accident.

"We'd like to urge our communities to stay alert and think ahead. Lives can be wrecked in an instant and the consequences last a lifetime.

"We also need the public's help to help us keep our roads safe and to report any offences they might see. If you have any concerns whilst out on the roads then please report them to us via the dedicated link on our website or by calling 101. Always dial 999 in an emergency.

"Thank you to the large majority of motorists that drive carefully, consider other road users and do not commit offences. You are helping to make our roads safer for everyone."