Back in June the rules changed to allow Foreign drivers to take backloads from the Uk to countries on their journey, or where they were returning to. Whilst this method is undeniably greener, you have increased frequency of your driver causing or being in an accident, and what happens to your load then?
Vehicles from overseas were involved in 163 accidents in which someone either died or suffered serious injuries in one year, while British hauliers were involved in 1,956.
But with foreign HGVs accounting for only one per cent of the total in the country, the proportion of accidents in which they are involved is far greater.
Campaigners say that foreign lorries are not maintained to the same safety levels as British ones.
Many accidents are also caused because they are designed to be driven on the right hand side of the road and drivers cannot see motorists alongside when they are changing lanes on motorways and dual carriageways.
More than one in five trucks operated by overseas hauliers have also been found to be unroadworthy.
The findings reignited the debate over the need for tighter controls on thousands of lorries which come in from the continent, amid fears that many do not comply with UK safety standards.
At the same time they are more at risk because they are designed to be driven on the right hand side of the road, which creates additional problems including judging turns and seeing what else is on the road.
In addition some overseas lorry drivers are unfamilar with British roads and some have run into trouble using satellite-navigation devices which resulted in trucks being stuck after being guided into small side-roads.
The extent of the risk posed by overseas lorries were were buried in a Government document on plans to impose on-the-spot fines on overseas lorry drivers and increase penalties for more serious offences.
According to the latest figures, covering 2006, foreign lorries were involved in 163 accidents in which someone either died or suffered serious injuries.
This was nearly eight per cent of the total involving heavy goods vehicles.
The Department for Transport also found random inspections revealed that 22 per cent of foreign lorries were unroadworthy.
This means that foreign lorries are three times more likely to be in a dangerous condition than their UK counterpart on British roads.
The UK haulage industry has now called on the Government to get tough with foreign lorry drivers who fail to meet British safety standards.
“It is quite clear that foreign lorries operating on UK roads are most certainly not maintained to the sort of safety level which has been created by the UK operator licensing regime,” said a spokesman for the Freight Transport Association.
“The UK licensing system, involving annual tests and roadside inspections,has resulted in UK lorries being the safest on the roads and, on a mile for mile basis, being involved in about half the number of accidentsas cars.
“We estimate that, on a mile for mile basis, a foreign lorry is three times more likely to be involved in an accident than a UK vehicle.
“Lorries are a vital ingredient in the way we live - if you’ve got it then it has been inside the back of a lorry.
“Too often we see that the operating standards of foreign lorries working in the UK are not what they should be.”
The call for tougher action was backed by Robert Gifford, Executive Director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, said “The government has at long last recognised in these figures the over-representation of foreign registered HGVs in accidents on British roads.
“In addition to tougher penalties and better enforcement of the law once these vehicles have reached the UK, we also need to look at preventing them from coming here in the first place.
“More consistent enforcement across Europe is essential, ensuring that our high standards of roadworthiness are supported throughout the EU.”
Mr Gifford called for inspectors from the Government’s Vehicle and Operating Services Agency to be stationed at French ports of Caen and Calais.”
“The Government should now look to tougher rules to enter the UK in order to prevent British lives being lost.”
However, the Department for Transport insisted that it was already stepping up its drive against dangerous overseas lorries.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk
I can completely understand the outrage that lorry drivers feel, rigorous training and testing and hours regulations, constant monitoring… for someone who does not undertake the same care and attention and forces them off the road.
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