Drivers arrested and cars seized in road safety operation

Dangerous vehicles were taken off the road during a multi-agency road safety operation in Solihull on 22 November 2022.

Five vehicles were seized for having no insurance and 21 vehicles were removed from the roads for having dangerous defects. One vehicle, a lorry, had six illegal tyres. 

Two drivers were also arrested on suspicion of drug-driving. 

Fifteen vehicles were also dealt with for not having valid excise licences and more than 20 drivers were also given road safety advice. 

Officers from West Midlands Police Road Harm Prevention Team and Warwickshire Police were joined by partners such as West Midlands Fire Service, Solihull Council, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), and Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB), who checked more than 100 vehicles throughout the day. 

Sgt Mark Bull, from the Road Harm Prevention Team, said: “Vehicles that are not roadworthy are not only illegal, but also extremely dangerous for other road users. 

“We regularly carry out operations in partnership with other organisations such as the DVLA and MIB to crackdown on law-breakers and take unsafe vehicles off the roads.  

“It’s important that we carry out operations like these to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads. Our priority is to keep people safe on our motorways and roads.”

Insp Jem Mountford of Warwickshire Police said: “The high number of offences detected by officers and road safety partners gives us good reason to continue to target the drivers of dangerous vehicles using the roads.  The size and weight of commercial vehicles in particular, makes them much more dangerous to other road users if they are involved in a collision and we will continue to check, educate and enforce against commercial vehicle drivers and their companies to improve road safety for everyone.”