CARELESS and inconsiderate drivers will be targeted in new road safety campaigns.

Traffic officers and other organisations are joining forces to tackle those who tailgate, undercut or bully other drivers on the county's roads.

The drive is part of a bid to cut more than 700 crashes which cause deaths or serious injuries in Essex each year.

Police commissioner Nick Alston has chosen road safety as one of his policing priorities for the coming four years.

Traffic officer Sgt Simon Willsher said drivers who follow cars too closely and weave in or out of traffic are often responsible for serious crashes.

He said: “Careless and inconsiderate drivers who pass others in the inside lane, those who hug middle lanes and those who intimidate and bully others out of the way need to be prosecuted.

“We are working on an operation to target them because when you arrive at a serious crash it is rare it has been caused by a driver’s first offence.

“Those exhibiting bad behaviour tend to have a bad driving record and just get worse if they are allowed to carry on and then they are involved in a serious incident.

“We need more punishments and to hit them hard when we come across them so they don’t continue driving that way and cause one of the serious crashes.”