Driver instantly regrets making gestures at lorry when he realises who is inside

A van driver soon learned his lesson after making "obscene hand gestures" at a HGV.

Nottinghamshire Police said the man had been travelling along the M1 when he started making the rude signals at the vehicle as it passed by. Police officers were riding inside as part of aroad safety operation.

He was pulled over by a nearby police car before being given a verbal warning and a few words of advice. He had been driving without a seatbelt so was fined separately for that offence. PC Pearce Riley said: "[While] this incident understandably caused some amusement among the team, the potential consequences of not wearing a seatbelt really are no laughing matter.

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"Had this man been involved in a motorway collision, his chances of walking away uninjured—or even walking away at all—would have been greatly reduced.

"And that's why we do these operations: not to catch people out, but to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on our road network." During the force's four-day operation, it fined 50 motorists.

This comes after more than 10,000 motorists were slapped with fines on Tuesday after being caught out by new rules.

Drivers in Gloucestershire were hit with instant penalties, with a staggering 13,000 prosecuted for speeding through the A417 Missing Link roadworks.

National Highways issued a stark warning that lives could be lost on the A417 unless drivers slow down and adhere to the 40mph speed limit in place due to the ongoing roadworks. And this new rule is only the tip of the iceberg -check this out.

eline Acard, Senior Project Manager for National Highways, emphasised: "Safety is our number one priority. Tens of thousands of people use these sections of the A417 every day but for the sake of shaving an extra minute or two off their journey times some drivers are putting their own safety and the safety of our roadworkers at risk.

"Our staff and contractors are working around the clock to complete this project as quickly as possible, and they're entitled to do that safely without the threat of being maimed or killed by someone recklessly speeding through the roadworks."