Fatal crash leads to suzie retrofits
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by Amanda Bradbury • Operators of vehicles over 3.5 tonnes registered before April 1989 are to be forced to fit self-sealing valves to each air line on trailer couplings.
The move to retrofit up-to-date valves to attics and drawbar rigs follows the death of a driver in Yorkshire last July when he drove an incompatibly coupled HGV tractor unit.
Andrew Wynn died when his truck crashed on the A629 in Huddersfield.
West Yorkshire police blame the incident on non-functioning trailer brakes causing the tractor brakes to overheat and fail. They say this happened because a new tractor unit fitted with a self sealing brake coupling system was fitted to an older trailer which did not have an adaptor for the system.
They are concerned that other operators may be running units with incompatible systems. Construction & Use Regulations already require that vehicles registered since April 1989 have self-sealing valves.
Coupling manufacturers estimate that fitting the valves will take an hour. C Drivers should always
From next year trailers must be fitted with self-sealing suzies.
set their mechanical brakes when trailers are unhitched from their trucks, say police and vehicle manufacturers. The warning follows the death of a 23-year-old driver who was crushed to death by his trailer last month.