Police appeal to drivers to ensure their vehicles are fit for the road

The Police Service of Northern Ireland has reminded drivers to make sure their vehicles are ‘fit for the road’.

The appeal comes after a recent joint road safety operation between officers from Derry City and Strabane the Driver Vehicle Agency (DVA).

The aim of Sunday night’s (20 February) operation was to highlight the importance of vehicle condition and road safety, as well as responding to concerns about antisocial driving.

During the operation, the DVA was able to examine vehicles, which resulted in six prohibition notices being served on drivers. Seven fixed penalty notices were issued to drivers for a range of offences, including defective tyres, excess smoke and excess noise.

Inspector McManus said:

“We all need to play our part in making our roads safer for everyone and every driver needs to make sure their vehicle is fit to be on the road. Drivers also need to think about their actions when they are driving.

“I want to take this opportunity to urge anyone with concerns about the manner of vehicles being driven in their area to contact us on 101 so we can respond. Careless and dangerous driving has a negative impact on the local community and those who engage in these activities may regard them as 'fun', but this is not shared by the people who have to endure this type of senseless behaviour.

“We will continue to work with our partner agencies to do everything in our power to make the roads safer for everyone and will continue to conduct similar operations in the future.”

Police and DVA issue prohibition notices to drivers of vehicles with defects, meaning that some cannot be driven again until the faults are rectified or they comply with the requirements imposed by Police or DVA.