Essex Police is holding an intensive week of action around road safety beginning from today.

Routine patrols will be boosted by community events and safety campaigns right across the county, with a focus on the A12 right up to the Suffolk border.

Essex Police is working in partnership with Essex County Fire and Rescue Service and Essex County Council road safety teams on the initiative, which has been organised by road safety charity BRAKE alongside the Department for Transport and Highways Agency.

More checks will be carried out on commercial vehicles and officers will be on the look-out for drink-drivers, while community speed watch campaigns will be boosted with special constables.

Adam Pipe, Essex Police’s casualty reduction manager, said: “Road Safety Week is an opportunity for police, partner agencies and the public to work closely together with a common aim to reduce fatal and serious injury collisions on our roads.

“Speeding, tiredness, impatience, inexperience, recklessness and badly maintained vehicles are all factors which can lead to terrible crashes that can bring heartache to many families.

“We have various operations that are carried out throughout the year to deal with poor driving standards or dangerous vehicles but Road Safety Week brings together police, partners and our many volunteers for a week of intensive activities focusing on engagement, education and enforcement.

“We will be talking to drivers at the roadside, teaching road safety in schools and to young drivers and volunteers will be carrying out community speed watches across the county.

“We will be stopping and advising offending drivers or sending them on driver improvement scheme if they are seen speeding, driving while using mobiles or not using seat belts.

“Enforcement action will be taken for more serious offences or against drivers who persistently offend.

“As we move forward it is important to recognise the importance of all the various agencies and the public to use each other’s strengths to deliver a strong and robust road safety message.”

Rodney Bass, county councillor for Highways and Transportation, said: “Essex County Council is keen to work together with the police and other agencies to deliver a wide range of activities as part of our efforts to reduce the number of collisions and injuries on the road. We very much welcome initiatives that raise the profile of road safety with the public as safety is a shared responsibility.”