Police conduct road safety operation to crack down on ‘boyracers’ in Magherafelt

Police in Magherafelt recently joined with their partners Driver Vehicle Agency (DVA) to conduct a road safety operation in the Magherafelt and Cookstown areas on Saturday, November 5. The operation was put in place due to the recent number of deaths on roads across Northern Ireland. It was also focused towards the so called ‘boyracers’ in the area after a number of complaints were received. DVA opened Cookstown MOT Centre so that any vehicles that were suspected to be defective could be checked. During the operation, which ran from 8pm until 2am, 17 vehicles were tested which included two buses and 15 cars. These tests resulted in three prosecutions, five fixed penalty notices being issued as well as two advisory notices, five prohibition notices, four suspension notices and seven defect notices. Speaking about the operation, Sergeant John Downey made reference to the dangerous condition of one vehicle owned by a young male. He said: “One such vehicle that give us cause for concern was a car driven by a young male. It had three bare tyres and the two tyres on the front axle were mismatched. DVA examiners, as well as police, were totally shocked at this - DVA said that the tyres could have given away at any time which could have led to a serious injury or fatality. The driver obviously had no regard for his fellow passengers or for any member of the public. “From a policing point of view, this was a very successful operation and sends out a clear message that police and DVA will work together to improve road safety and prevent defective vehicles being driven on our roads. This partnership approach allows us to bring together a range of different skills, knowledge and legal powers to make the maximum amount of detections. Our aim in carrying out these operations is to keep people safe and to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads. We spoke to a large number of motorists on Saturday to make them aware of what we were doing and why and we received a lot of support and positive feedback. “We have seen too many deaths on our roads this year and we all need to work together to make our roads safer. Motorists have a responsibility to ensure their vehicles are roadworthy and comply with current legislation. If your vehicle is not roadworthy you are taking risks with your own safety, as well as the safety of every other road user. “We want to work together with the public and where we can will offer advice, however if your vehicle is defective you may face the prospect of a fixed penalty notice or referral to the Public Prosecution Service. We also have the power to request a preliminary breath test from a driver if an offence is committed. We will continue to work with our partners to do everything in our power to make the roads safer for everyone,” said Sgt Downey.