A tea-sipping driver who removed both his hands from the wheel while being reprimanded by police was just one of hundreds of drivers caught flouting the rules of the road – amid the launch of a new initiative on the M62.

The unwitting road user was filmed on the M6 in Cheshire last summer as part of Operation Tramline - a multi-agency initiative to make our motorways safer using unmarked cabs operated by police.

He can be seen sipping from a mug of tea and removing his hands from the wheel before a police officer tells him to concentrate on driving.

He was issued a traffic offence report for not being in proper control of his vehicle.

A tea-sipping driver who removed both his hands from the wheel while being reprimanded by police was just one of hundreds of drivers caught flouting the rules of the road.

This resulted in three points being added to his licence and a £100 fine.

Police in Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, West Yorkshire and Hull will once again be using National Highways’ unmarked HGV cabs in a bid to reduce and prevent accidents on the road network.

The aim of the multi-agency Month of Action on the M62 – dubbed Operation Pennine - is to reduce the number of incidents on the motorway.

Operation Pennine launches on Friday September 29 and will continue throughout the month of October.

Hundreds of thousands of drivers travel on the M62 every day and in 2022 there were 28,607 incidents on the M62.

Of those 28,607 incidents, 1,651 were traffic collisions.

In 2022, West Yorkshire Police recorded 105 people not wearing a seatbelt while driving on the M62, 99 people using their mobile phone at the wheel and 32 drivers not in proper control of their vehicle. Officers also stopped 279 people for speeding.

From the elevated position in the HGV cab, officers can spot unsafe driving behaviour – whatever vehicle the motorist may be in.

Another driver was spotted with his mobile phone in his left hand while steering with his right hand.

The most common offences across the motorway network, managed by National Highways, are not wearing a seatbelt, using a mobile phone and not being in proper control of a vehicle.

Consequences for drivers range from warnings to fixed penalty notices, court summons or arrest.

Nicola Clayton, National Highways’ Regional Safety Programme Manager for Yorkshire and the North East, said: “Hundreds of thousands of drivers use our roads every day and the vast majority are sensible behind the wheel. However, some drivers are putting themselves and others at risk through using mobile phones, driving without a seatbelt or even handling a boiling hot drink at the wheel.

“We are committed to reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured while travelling on our roads by 50% by 2025 and we have a long-term ambition for zero harm.

"To achieve that we need to tackle the unsafe driving behaviour that we sadly still encounter.

“Through this month of action, we want to encourage motorists to think about their driving and to adopt safer behaviours.

“Those who continue to pose a risk should be aware that we are working with our police partners to make sure they are spotted and prevented from causing serious harm to themselves or others.”

M62 unmarked HGVs: Driver slammed by officers for taking hands off wheel to drink tea as police launch initiative