Police say there is "no excuses" for the "fatal five" offences

Devon & Cornwall Police is highlighting some of the extraordinary excuses they hear from motorists who are stopped on suspicion of committing one of the ‘fatal five’ offences, in an effort to demonstrate that there are #NoExcuses when it comes to road safety.

Devon and Cornwall Police officers said they have "heard all the excuses going, but there are no excuses for breaking the law", that is the core message of this campaign.

A series called #NoExcuses has been developed to highlight some of the most unbelievable reasons given for committing one of the ‘fatal five’ offences by motorists travelling on the roads of Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

There are five main causes of serious injuries and deaths on the region’s roads – known as the ‘fatal five’:

• Excess or inappropriate speed
• Not wearing a seatbelt
• Driving using your mobile phone
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Careless or inconsiderate driving

Around 98 per cent of collisions are caused by human error, with only two per cent caused by unavoidable issues, such as mechanical failure. Devon and Cornwall Police's Roads Policing team work hard to educate road users and patrol the roads of the counties to prevent avoidable heartache.

Alliance Operations Commander, Devon and Cornwall, and Dorset Police, Jim Gale said: “There are no excuses for taking risks on the roads. Our aim, every day, is to keep the roads of Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly as safe as possible by targeting those who fail to abide by the law.

“The ‘fatal five’ are statistically proven to contribute to death and serious injury on the roads. If you commit one of these offences you are not only putting your life at risk, but also the lives of any passengers you are carrying as well as other road users and pedestrians.”

This series, entitled #NoExcuses, will be run on the Devon and Cornwall Police social media channels. Devon and Cornwall Police Roads Policing officers have recalled some of the most far-fetched excuses they have been given for each of the ‘fatal five’ behaviours.

To follow this series, go to the Devon & Cornwall Facebook or Twitter pages:

Twitter - dc_police
Facebook – DevonAndCornwallPolice
Instagram - dc_police

To report non-urgent crime or for information and advice, go to the website www.devon-cornwall.police.uk