ONE driver was stopped by police after driving at 95mph during a crackdown by officers at a notorious accident blackspot

Motorists travelling through the Cartgate roundabout on the A303 were being stopped, checked, and educated by the Safer Somerset Partnership yesterday, as they aim to make the ‘accident hotspot’ safer.

One driver was stopped by police after going at 95mph, and another car was pulled over after a passenger fell asleep without their seatbelt on.

The team, made up of members from five different organisations, were providing education for drivers as part of the ‘multi agency road safety action day’ at Cartgate services, focusing on speed and mobile phone use.

Representatives from the County Council were joined by members of the County's police, ambulance and fire services, as well as Highways England. throughout yesterday.

Steve Greenhalgh, from Somerset County Council’s Road Safety Team, said: “The A303 is an accident hotspot and this roundabout in particular sees a lot of accidents, so we are carrying out checks throughout the day on vehicles coming into the roundabout.

“Local people always say that there are not enough police on the road, and with all the cuts going on it would be hard for the police to do things like this on a regular basis, so that is why we do these partnerships.”

The police were seen stopping motorists this morning for various reasons, including a driver travelling at 95mph, and a person asleep in a passenger seat with no seatbelt.

Tony Gray, temporary sergeant with Avon and Somerset Police, said: “We are stopping people who we believe could be a danger on the road, and we can carry out eye sight tests, blood pressure tests, and drug tests here.”

“We are hoping to talk to around 50 people today, and we are trying to educate people, but with an enforcement aspect as well.”

Speed is a factor in a third of all crashes, and the event was aiming to reinforce the fact that ‘all drivers are responsible for their own actions when behind the wheel’.

Martyn Callow, from the South West Ambulance Service, said: “Every year we attend hundreds of incidents which could have been prevented if people drove with due care and attention.

“The use of mobile phones whilst driving is incredibly dangerous and despite repeated warnings we see first-hand the devastating effects that it causes.

“We welcome the event at Cartgate services and are pleased to be involved.”