Kent Traffic Police recently tweeted live updates as they cracked down on lorries tailgating their unmarked vehicles whilst patrolling the contraflow measures on the M20 which have been implemented to prepare for a No Deal Brexit. This led the fed up officers to begin pulling over the HGVs, with one disgruntled motorist even attempting to force the unmarked car out of the way.
What happened?
On Saturday 13th April, Kent’s Roads Policing Unit warned followers on Twitter of impatient drivers tailgating them on the M20 as they patrolled the coast bound M20 contraflow. Officers went on to state that despite the 50mph speed limit, a vehicle drove extremely closely behind their unmarked car for a mile. Needless to say, the offending vehicle pulled back when the blue lights turned on.
Despite officers swiftly stopping the vehicle, they soon had to repeat their actions, tweeting to their followers that they stopped their third HGV for careless driving after the vehicle was seen tailgating three separate vehicles, whilst another car driver was reported due to lane hogging. Officers were keen to assure followers that the offending HGV drivers were not just foreign, stating that a local driver was also reported due to careless driving after attempting to force officer’s unmarked vehicle out of their way on the M26.
For highway and motorway maintenance vehicles keen to avoid being tailgated like the Kent Police Force, Chevrons kits are an effective way of keeping any tailgaters at bay, thanks to their fluorescent colouring which ensures high visibility. There are chevrons kits available for a wide range of popular transit vehicle models and they can be easily applied, often using magnetic or self-adhesive stickers.
What is Operation Brock?
According to the BBC Operation Brock was designed to tackle disruption caused by delays at the border and acts as a safe, scalable response to disruption.
As well as tailgating drivers, officers also pulled over lane hoggers, as motorists attempted to deal with the chaos surrounding Operation Brock, which is concerned with implementing contraflow measures such as installing a steel barrier as a preparatory measure for the potential ramifications of a No Deal Brexit. Despite the operation ending earlier in April, a 50mph speed limit has remained in place on the M20.