A JOINT operation between police and partner agencies was staged on Dartmoor last week to tackle dangerous driving.

The operation, held on July 10 to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on moorland roads was welcomed by local residents and the Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society.

The society said that road traffic accidents involving animals was ‘extremely high’ due to excess vehicles and speeding motorists on the moors due to the sunny weather.

Police and crime commissioner Alison Hernandez, road safety lead for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, joined officers on Dartmoor as the summer tourist season got under way.

The operation saw undercover police drivers and motorcyclists challenging dangerous driving and offering education and advice to road users at several locations.

The police operation went hand in hand with work by the Peninsula Road Safety Partnership to place new temporary signs in danger spots.

The latest figures indicate that 58 people were killed on the roads in Devon and Cornwall in the 12 months to March 2019 and there were 837 serious casualties.

Data shows that although more accidents happen in urban areas, they are more likely to be serious or fatal in rural areas. According to the British Horse Society 36 horses were killed on Devon’s roads last year, with one killed in Cornwall. Farmers say that more than 150 animals were killed on Dartmoor alone in 2018.

Ms Hernandez said: ‘The summer is well and truly with us and I want to ask people to take extra care and to educate themselves and their loved ones about the terrible cost dangerous driving has, especially in rural areas.

‘Our roads are for everyone, whether they be cyclists, riders or walkers. Here in the Westcountry many are single track with twists and turns. Drivers need to be patient and attentive.

‘It’s great to see the police working with partners in an effort to reduce the harm caused by dangerous driving and I truly hope we’ll see fewer deaths this year.’

Jon Farr, project manager for the of the Peninsula Road Safety Partnership, said: ‘Our message to people this summer is that you need to pay attention when you are on the road, it’s really easy to get distracted, especially on a beautiful day, but you do have to focus on the driving task.

‘The roads on Dartmoor are fairly typical of rural roads and if you come off them you are likely to hit a large lump of granite which could cause serious injury or death. It’s busy on the moor at the moment, we have cyclists, motorcyclists, livestock; a whole load of hazards, and that’s why you need to concentrate all the time.’

DLPS officer Karla McKechnie added that road traffic accidents involving animals on Dartmoor was increasing due to the warm weather: ‘I welcome this operation and the support that the police and crime commissioner is showing towards this crackdown on dangerous driving on Dartmoor’s roads.

‘I don’t want to discourage people from enjoying Dartmoor, but I would urge people to remember that this is a working and wild landscape, and it is the animals’ home. I urge people to drive sensibly and be aware that animals roam free. The amount of road traffic accidents that I am seeing at the moment is awful and extremely high at the moment.’