Sussex's bad drivers warned police 'can't be everywhere but could be anywhere'

The message came from Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne, who said bad drivers had been convinced they could ‘get away with it’ for too long.

At a police and crime panel meeting, East Sussex councillor Ian Hollidge said there was a perception among many people that the county’s roads were not safe – a problem which had became a ‘barrier to active travel’.

He described how when he walked and cycled around his town he regularly sees people on their phones, speeding, parking in the wrong direction and stuck in the middle of the road. He added: “Driver behaviour is becoming worse in my opinion.”

Running through the work being carried out by police to keep the roads safe, Mrs Bourne shared some figures which detailed action take in the course of one weekend (June 18/19).

That action saw five arrests made for drink/drug driving – with one of those arrested already disqualified; one speeding summons was issued, and more than 240 people were caught speeding by camera vans.

On top of that, 27 tickets were issued for people caught speeding, using their mobile phones or driving without a seat belt.

Two warnings were given for careless or inconsiderate driving and seven vehicles were seized.

Mrs Bourne said: “There is a huge amount of work ongoing because I think for too long people have been able to drive the roads with impunity and think they can get away with it.

“I think the big message now is that Sussex Police are there – they cannot be everywhere but they could be anywhere.

“So the message to all users of the roads is this is something that’s taken quite seriously.”

Another problem area discussed was that of excessively noisy vehicles.

The subject was raised by West Sussex councillor Roy Briscoe who asked Mrs Bourne if her office supported the idea of Sussex Police trialling ‘noise cameras’.

The aim of the government-backed scheme is to ‘banish boy racers’ – fining drivers who rev their engines unnecessarily or use illegal exhausts.

Mrs Bourne told the meeting that the Chief Constable had written to Sussex MPs offering ‘blanket support’ for any bids they wished to submit.