Police assume Lotus position

Police in East Sussex are taking an unusual position to educate young drivers: the Lotus position if you like. This involves the police drivers folding themselves into an Exige S for their shift and attending incidents involving young drivers.

The aim of the Lotus Exige is to get the attention of young drivers and break down the barriers that might exist between them and the police. A third of all accidents on East Sussex's roads involve young drivers aged between 17- and 25-years old and the Lotus is seen as an ice-breaker.

Sergeant Paul Masterson is responsible for the Lotus and says: "Rather than sending a standard unit to reports of young drivers getting together and doing doughnuts, we send the Lotus. We talk about cars, its performance and their cars. Once the barriers are down, we can talk to them about more serious road safety issues."

However, you're not likely to see the Lotus Exige on normal patrol duties as it's often too busy touring the country. After one event in Wales, Sergeant Masterson was pulled over by a police car so his Welsh colleagues could have a better look at the car.

The 150mph Lotus is also helping to keep East Sussex Police's budget under control as the car was supplied by local dealer Dream Machines in Heathfield.