Case Study: Operation Tramline
continued...
So when we identify people as targets for activity because of their law breaking, we still leave ourselves
discretion as to what we then do with them. We can also combine approaches so that we give education
and deter at the same time. But whatever we decide to do with those drivers who single themselves out
for attention, we should do it in a way that makes them more likely to drive safely in future. The section on
procedural justice (p60) is worth a look for seeing how to go about doing that.
The use of Tramline is an effort at securing instrumental compliance (see p59), but each encounter with an
offending driver should be taken as an opportunity to achieve higher levels of normative compliance. What this
means is that each conversation is a rare opportunity to talk one-to-one to someone who we really need to talk
to, and an opportunity to explain why the law exists (and why distraction is a bad thing generally). Highways
England supplies Tramline officers with a range of leaflets and handouts relating to different schemes (including
Driving for Better Business - see p55) that can be used in a targeted way depending on the offence identified.
There are some ideas in the section on one-to-one and small group engagement in this compendium that can
be used to structure these roadside conversations in the most effective way (see p95-97). The emphasis should
always be on the risk of being harmed and causing harm, in our opinion, as emphasising the risks of getting
caught may just encourage them to be more secretive about their mobile phone use in future (after all, we
are using HGV cabs partly because people now tend to use the phone in their lap, rather than to their ear!). It
also means that conversations can emphasise that hands-free use is not a viable alternative option and a few
statistics about the dangers of using hands-free phones can help make that point.
Leverage
Many of the drivers identified by Tramline will be those who drive for work. Something that makes professional
drivers a good target group for Tramline enforcement is the leverage that can be applied to them. In most cases,
the individual will be dependent on their driving licence, and this means that ‘points’ mean more to them than
they perhaps to do the average driver. We might start by encouraging officers to record the employer of each
driver they stop as a starting point in identifying the bigger issues associated with offending behaviour and
employer policy.
Even making it clear that we do this is likely to act as leverage on drivers, and employers themselves. On the flip
side, we might consider rewarding companies with effective and enforced policies against distracted driving,
and encourage them to promote the Tramline operation. By doing this, they help us achieve our aims and firmly
locate themselves on the law-abiding and responsible end of the industry spectrum. A friendly and responsible
local employer could even be approached to sponsor the truck. Drivers may be suspicious of an unmarked,
trailer-less cab, but would be less so if it was liveried - and that livery helps to promote the friendly company
(and means they CANNOT afford to be caught themselves!).
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