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We live in interesting times...
Page 66
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Austin Caulfield loos ahead to
the situations the industry will face in 2005... and shudders. Car drivers, accidents, speed limits
— isn't it time the Highways Agency
sorted out the chaos on our roads?
I'd like to begin by wishing all Commercial Motor readers a prosperous and successful 2005 — tempered by the knowledge that it's going to be a tough year ahead with the introduction of a whole raft of new legislation, riot least of which is the dreaded Working Time Directive.
Frankly we need this legislation like a hole in the head, but this has been said before and no-one listened then. Incidentally, if anyone figures out how we can survive a 48-hour week with the current shortage of drivers then feel free to get in touch.
Another piece of governmentapproved idiocy destined to come our way this year is the bizarre experiment that's being proposed on the M42, where trucks will be restricted to a single lane. Oddly enough I was labouring under the impression that the Highways Agency was formed to assist the passage of transport, rather than hinder it.
This brings me neatly to accidents. On 27 December, during the Christmas break, I was driving north on the M6 listening to Radio 5. During my two-hour journey there were dozens of reports about accidents around the UK. I believe that during the day most of the UK's motorways had been shut for one reason or another.The odd thing about this was that there were hardly any wagons running. To my mind this seems to prove something that! have long suspected: most accidents on the road network are caused by cars.
Too many people try to blame HGVs for accidents, hut believe me this is not the case. Of course there are poor truck drivers but there are considerabl y fewer of these than there are woeful car drivers.
Selfishness seems to be the preserve of car drivers as well— we've all seen them cutting in, driving across lanes and jumping into non-existent gaps in the traffic.
There should be a crackdown on those who can't drive in a responsible manner. But the government is simply not interested in this, or raising the 50mph speed limit for trucks on single carriageways in a bid to improve safety.
We continue to fight a losing battle and the only thing we can do is stick together. United we will survive; divide and the casualties will litter the earth. •