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MT looks at exemption of seatbelts for deliveries
Page 11
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• The Department for Transport ( DfT) is proposing a clampdown on drivers who avoid wearing seatbelts while making frequent local deliveries or collections. It is launching a consultation into how far drivers can travel between drops without having to wear a seatbelt.
The current seatbelt wearing rate for van drivers is around 63% and 55% for their passengers, compared with 90% and 92% respectively for car occupants. In vans, up to 21 fatalities and 241 serious casualties each year could be prevented if belts were worn, according to the Transport Research Laboratory which conducted research on the DfT's behalf.
Currently, the law allows exemption for such work but gives no definition of what distance between stoppages constitutes a "local round".
Many van and goods vehicle drivers believe there is a general trade exemption, which applies to any delivery over any distance. The law allows exemption only when "delivering or collecting mail or goods on local rounds in a vehicle constructed or adapted for that purpose".
Gavin Scott, regional policy manager for the FTA, says: "We believe the distance allowed should be as short as possible. If the new law saves lives, then it can only be a good thing."
The DfT will consider all responses.