Officers have found a new way of highlighting danger

Officers using special monitoring gear have begun stopping motorists during the rush hours across Edinburgh.

The four-week crackdown, which started on Monday, has been instigated by Lothian and Borders Police in a bid to reduce casualties on the city's roads.

Extra officers have been drafted in to patrol in marked vehicles between 0700-0930 and 1600-1800.

The move comes after figures showed a dramatic rise in serious road injuries and deaths.

Recent casualty figures across the force revealed the number of people killed or seriously injured was 15% above targets set by the government - 419 compared with the target of 365.

After seeing these figures we decided that a hard-hitting road safety initiative was needed Chief Inspector Sandy Allan

It also showed that particular times of the day have higher casualty tolls.

A profile covering the years 2002 to 2005 revealed 29 fatal collisions occurred between the hours of 1600 and 1800 - almost twice that of any other two-hour period.

Chief Inspector Sandy Allan, of Lothian and Borders Police traffic department, said they wanted to drive the safety message home.

He said: "After seeing these figures we decided that a hard-hitting road safety initiative was needed to highlight the dangers of careless driving and speeding, particularly those drivers heading home at the end of a working day.

'Areas of concern'

"Traffic officers will be maintaining a high visibility presence on the roads for the next four weeks, stopping careless motorists and showing them footage of their driving, and the impact that could have on their lives if they should crash.

"Midlothian with 21 casualties above target and the Borders with 33 above are particular areas of concern for us.

"The main roads through these areas, including the A1, are highlighted as being particularly high in road casualties and deaths."

Neil Greig, head of policy in Scotland for the AA Motoring Trust, said: "High-visibility policing is a very good idea. We know that police presence is a determining factor on how people drive and how likely they are to speed."