Cumbria Police’s month-long road safety operation targeting the Fatal Four has resulted in more than 150 arrests.
Operation Spotlight is a national road safety operation which focuses on the Fatal Four:
- Speeding
- Using a mobile phone at the wheel
- Not wearing a seatbelt
- Driving under the influence of drink and/or drugs
Here in Cumbria, the operation was led by the Constabulary’s dedicated Roads Policing Unit and has resulted in 159 arrests:
- Sec 5a (drug driving): 75
- Sec 5 OPL (drink driving): 39
- Fail to provide: 26
- Unfit through drink or drugs: 19
In addition to the arrests officers issued Traffic Offence Reports (TORs) to 28 drivers for use of a mobile phone and 15 for failing to wear a seatbelt.
Officers and Road Safety Camera vans also caught more than 2,400 speeding offences during the month.
Inspector Jack Stabler, lead for Cumbria’s Roads Policing Unit, said: “Whilst the arrest figures for this operation will make headlines, I can assure the public that getting drink and drug drivers stopped and off the road is day business for our RPU officers.
“The operation may have come to an end but the efforts of officers to take action against dangerous drivers has not.
“As a Constabulary we and our partners are committed to driving down the number of people killed and seriously injured on our road network, including by targeting the Fatal Four, 365 days a year.”
The figures from the operation continue to show that officers are making far more drug driving than drink driving arrests.
Inspector Stabler said: “Drugs tend to remain in the system for longer than alcohol – which means continued impairment and a decreased ability to react at the wheel.
“All our officers on the road are trained in administering drug wipes, which are helping us to improve road safety for all by empowering officers to identify impaired drivers and get them off the roads.
“Drug driving is incredibly dangerous and, as we approach the summer, our officers will continue stopping drivers we suspect of being impaired, testing them by the roadside and taking them into custody if they fail those tests.”
There will be a further national Operation Spotlight through July 2025.
Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, said: “Operation Spotlight is just a snapshot of what the Roads Policing Team achieve throughout the year.
“Dangerous driving in any sense is a selfish act – you place everyone on the road at risk, not just yourself, through dangerous and careless driving.
“Making 159 arrests in one month is an incredible achievement by Cumbria Police and sends a clear message to those who are breaking the law: if you are caught driving dangerously, or drive under the influence of drink or drugs you will be caught and face the consequences.
“I would urge all motorists to drive sensibly and make sure you get home safe.”-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whilst Operation Spotlight has concluded, officers are on the roads 365 days a year looking to target the Fatal Four, including drink and drug drivers.
The following arrests were all made on 1 May 2025 - after Operation Spotlight had concluded:
At 11.50am, officers arrested a driver after he had driven into the rear of a tanker on the M6 at junction 41.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, drug driving and failing to stop at the scene of a collision.
He was subsequently released under investigation to allow time for further enquiries, including blood test results.
At 2.30pm officers stopped a car in the vicinity of Crooklands, south of Endmoor.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of drug driving, driving whilst disqualified and possession of cannabis.
He was subsequently released under investigation to allow time for further enquiries, including blood test results.
Yesterday evening police received a report that a woman suspected of being under the influence had just got behind the wheel of her car and driven off.
Officers traced the car to the woman's home address in the Harraby area, where the car had been backed into a parked car.
The woman was arrested at 7.30pm after she failed a breath test for alcohol.
She was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and subsequently released under investigation to allow time for blood test results.
Cumbria Police have provided regular updates on arrests throughout Op Spotlight.
Links to all of these updates can be found here: Operation Spotlight: Road safety op targets the Fatal Four - Cumbria Constabulary