Dear Mr Norris
Page 32
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The thought of handing out full C+E licences to all drivers who held the old Class 2 and 3 licences previous to 1 April 1991 fills me with horror. As a driver who has gone from driving 75tonne non-HGVs through Class 3 and then to passing the test for and driving Class
1 vehicles (now full C+E), can assure you that at each stage there is a considerable increase in the skill, knowledge and ability required to make each step.
Whereas there are logical grounds (safety) for the restriction of Class B drivers to vehicles up to a maximum weight of 3.5 tonnes, the idea of handing out licences to inexperienced drivers at the opposite end to drive larger (and getting bigger) vehicles, seems totally stupid and to fly in the face of any logic.
There are considerable safety implications in the attaching of trailers, and the trade press regularly carries stories of trailers not coupled properly causing accidents. Allowing unqualified drivers to hop in a cab of either an artic or drawbar is a recipe for reducing safety on the UK's roads. The roads which are, at present, the safest in Europe.
I must advise you against this move. Could you stand up in the house and say: "This little girl died bemuse I allowed the LGV driving rules to be changed"?
I don't think so.
Paul Wixey
Oxfordshire.