This is the moment an irresponsible lorry driver was caught on camera using not one but two mobile phones at the same time while he was driving on the M6 in Cheshire.

The man was filmed holding one phone to his ear with one hand as he made a call and texting on another handset in his other hand while he was at the wheel of his HGV.

The shocking footage, which has been released by Cheshire police, was captured during a safety initiative run by the force and Highways England.

Crackdown

The crackdown on dangerous driving saw Highways England loan an HGV cab to police forces across the country so officers can film unsafe behaviour from the cab's elevated position, then police cars following behind can pull drivers over.

Almost 2,700 drivers have been stopped in this way over the past 16 months alone.

Among the other dangerous behaviour police spotted were one motorist in Surrey who was boiling water in a kettle on his dashboard and a Kent driver who was seen watching a DVD.

Putting people at risk

Anthony Thorpe, from Highways England’s Incident Prevention Team, said: “The vast majority of drivers pay attention when they’re on a motorway but a minority are putting themselves and others at risk by not driving safely.

“We’ve been loaning out the HGV cab to police forces to help improve safety and are delighted that the initiative is making a real difference and protecting motorists.

“It’s astonishing and worrying that drivers have got into bad driving habits and are using their mobile phones, watching DVDs or even boiling a kettle while driving.”

A total of 25 police forces took part in the HGV safety cab initiative during its first 16 months. Officers gave verbal advice to 247 drivers, issued 693 fixed or graduated penalty notices, and filed 2,186 traffic offence reports – usually requiring drivers to attend a driver education course. There were also 34 prosecutions for more serious offences.

Reasons for stopping drivers included:

  • Using mobile phones – 1,663
  • Not wearing seatbelts – 749
  • Not in proper control of vehicles – 173
  • Speeding – 160
  • Driving under influence of drink or drugs – 7