Police focus on road safety, Ballymena
13 Oct 2009
Promoting road safety and preventing anti-social behaviour were the focus of attention in Ballymena, on Friday night October 9, when the PSNI, DVA, HM Revenue and Customs and Ballymena Borough Council joined forces to detect and advise motorists on matters of vehicle maintenance and how the manner of their driving could be viewed as being anti social in nature.
Inspector Pete Bouma said, “We have two objectives here tonight. One is preventing and educating people about anti social behaviour, and people should note that we have had numerous calls from residents concerned by the behaviour of a small number of young drivers who come along here to the Castle Street car park and behave in a manner that impinges on their rights. The car park has become a meeting place and there is a small minority who drive noisily, revving their engines, and on occasions repeatedly sounding their car horns late into the night. There have also been complaints about dangerous driving, and about the level of rubbish which has not been disposed of properly in the car park. That’s one aspect. The second is road safety. It is well known now that young drivers are in a higher risk category when it comes to serious traffic collisions. What we are doing here tonight is to detect drunk drivers, those who are speeding, or driving dangerously, and those who are driving vehicles that have been modified in way that makes them unsafe.
“We have no issue with cars being modified provided the work is done professionally, and that is the key. Unfortunately some people do these things themselves and leave the vehicle in a condition that makes it unsafe for use on the roads. In some instances it a seems to be a case of people wanting to achieve a certain ‘look’, but not being able or prepared to pay the money to have the job done properly.
"Modifications, particularly to the vehicle’s suspension, can be dangerous if it is not done right. It can change the handling characteristics to such an extent that the vehicle may not be able to cope with corners and bumps the way a normal car would. Using the wrong parts or cutting the suspension springs fitted by the manufacturer to lower the vehicle’s ride height simply to achieve the desired look is highly dangerous as it renders the car unsafe.
“What tonight allows us to do is to speak to the young drivers themselves and have their cars checked out to ensure they are safe. This provides peace of mind for them as they know that following an inspection that their car is safe. It also allows us to make sure that cars that have been subjected to unsafe amateur or home modifications are taken off the roads before the drivers kill themselves or and up killing pedestrians or other road users.
“On Friday night, 16 Fixed Penalty Notices were issued for breach of traffic signs, one for vehicle defects, and one for littering offences. One driver was detected driving without insurance, one person was arrested for disorderly behaviour and two detections were made for possession of Class ‘B’ Drugs. A total of twelve cars were inspected, 6 drivers were issued with prohibition notices, and a further two were issued with notices for vehicle rectification.
“What tonight’s operation has demonstrated, is a need for the owners of modified cars to make sure that the intended modification is legal before they go to the expense of having the work done, and a need for that work to be done professionally and to an acceptable standard. The safety of all road users is too important to do anything less,” concluded Inspector Bouma.
