Norris out to catch cowboys
Page 14
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Road safety minister Steven Norris is supporting long-held views of the Licensing Authorities and Vehicle Inspectorate by advocating harsher penalties for errant hauliers.
EXCLUSIVE
by Mary Williams • Road safety minister Steven Norris says punishment of cowboy hauliers is too lenient and slow (see news story page 6). His comments, coming two weeks after his support for impounding unlicensed operators' trucks, back the long-held opinions of Licensing Authorities and the Vehicle Inspectorate.
Consequences Interviewed by Commercial Motor, Norris says that magistrates often let hauliers off too lightly for offences under the Road Traffic Act (Construction & Use). This is because they do not understand the consequences of these offences, he believes.
Department of Transport figures show that accidents involving trucks are four times more likely to kill than accidents involving cars. According to the Transport Research Laboratory, about 5% of fatal truck accidents are contributed to by mechanical failure.
"In certain cases magistrates think a heavy fine would break a business, destroying livelihoods and being counter-productive," says Norris. "It is regrettable that in a great many cases they seem to underestimate the seriousness of these offences: for example, fines for not having an operators' licence can be as low as £12." But, while encouraging magistrates to impose heavier fines, he rules out raising the fine ceiling of Norris says he is prepared to look at ways to speed up the sentencing of erring operators. At the moment it can take more than two years for a case to be heard, and the LAs rarely take action until after sentencing.
Norris admits that these delays "raise safety concerns", but adds: "This is a very difficult area on which I want to counsel caution. Nobody could be keener than we are to ensure the irresponsible operator does not go on in business longer than necessary, but it is tremendously important not to prejudge.".
He is prepared to investigate claims of poor communication between police and LAs. Details of convictions are not always passed on to the LAs by police: "We want to make sure that when the LAs considers applications they do have on file a comprehensive record of how that operator behaves."
The minister might consider consignor liability for the legal running of trucks; this policy operates successfully in Ireland. Following reports of illegal trucks working on the Department of Transport's second Severn Bridge, the DOT has introduced consignor liability at the site.
"It is something we are prepared to look at given the success of our own project," says Norris. But he warns that it could be seen as unfair to put responsibility on the consignor's shoulders, and in sonic instances it would be hard to pin down responsibility.
Norris reaffirms his commitment to investigating the confiscation of unlicensed vehicles, but he is not putting a date on such a move.
He refutes complaints that the Government is risking lives by cutting enforcement budgets and defends 20% efficiency cuts: "We believe savings are possible without compromising safety. It is necessary to look at the whole structure and make sure there are lots of Indians and not so many chiefs, We are failing the public if we are not getting as much as possible out of taxpayers' pounds—it is a cop out to say that if a penny less comes from Government then it will mean less enforcement."
However, the Vehicle Inspectorate and LAs say they are already squeezed and are being forced to cut enforcement officers and licensing staff. Senior Licensing Authority Ronald Ashford says: "It is bloody daft to cut staff across the VI and LA. The Government is making arbitrary cuts regardless of safety."
More staff VI boss Julian David says: "We can always use more staff."
Norris says the important point is that road deaths are decreasing. "Overall we have a brilliant record in road safety," he says. "We are absolutely committed to continuing the remorseless drive against accidents, and while we have had a degree of success, we cannot afford to be complacent."