Mitchell Goodman, aged 53, was driving the HGV on Landor Street, in Birmingham, shortly after 10am on 25 June, when officers from our Road Harm Prevention Team who were carrying out a Multi-agency Road Safety Operation stopped him after they suspected him of driving while on drugs and not wearing a seatbelt.
The team’s suspicions were proved correct when Goodman got out of the truck and the officers smelt a strong smell of cannabis.
When questioned on why he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt he stated, “I didn’t think any of the truckers had to wear seatbelts, I’m aware of the law but didn’t think you had to wear seatbelts.”
After also denying he’d taken drugs, Goodman was tested at the roadside.
The result was positive for cannabis and cocaine.
A further drug test while in custody found him to be over double the legal limit for cannabis and shockingly showed he had seven and a half times the legal cocaine limit in his system.
Goodman appeared at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (7 Oct) after being charged with driving while not wearing a seatbelt and two counts of drug driving.
After pleading guilty he was disqualified from driving for 17 months, ordered to complete 100 hours unpaid work, and complete 15 rehabilitation activity days.
PC Jordan Law-Edwards, of our Road Harm Prevention Team, said: “This is a truly shocking case where a professional driver in charge of a 20-tonne lorry posed a serious risk to the public and could have killed someone.
“Drug driving in normal vehicles can lead to devastating results but being that much over the limit while in charge of a HGV is an abhorrent thing to do and could have resulted in catastrophic results for innocent victims and Goodman himself.
“We have a zero-tolerance approach to anyone driving over the drink or drug limit. Whether you drive a car, a van, or in this case a HGV - if we suspect you or have any intelligence you’re breaking the law you can expect to be stopped, dealt with and put before the courts.”
We regularly conduct road operations within our communities and work with partner agencies to create safer roads for everyone.
Our primary mission is simple yet crucial – to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries on our roads.
This includes focussing on offences known as the ‘fatal four’ which includes: speeding, drink and drug driving, using a mobile phone while driving, and not wearing a seatbelt.