French driver loses appeal.
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against heavy tents cargo
roger.brownIarhi.co.uk A FRENCH DRIVER has lost an appeal against his conviction for carrying a cargo of tents that was 69% over the legal weight limit.
Raphael Levy, from Paris, was stopped by officers from Kent Police on the A2 in Swanscombe on 1 July on a return journey to France following a delivery in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
The van was weighed and had a gross vehicle weight of 5,940kg, compared with the legal weight limit of 3,500kg.
Levy was given an immediate £300 roadside tine and summonsed to court where he was fined £1,225 and ordered to pay £85 costs.
His subsequent appeal against the decision was rejected.
Under the graduated fixed penalty legislation, introduced in April 2009. foreign drivers, as well as British residents who cannot provide a valid UK address, can be issued with on-the-spot fines of up to £900.
Inspector Paul Sellwood. of the roads policing unit at Kent Police, says operators must remember that suspension, brakes and tyres can fail if vehicles are overloaded and put under such intense pressure.
He adds: "Tyres are designed to work under a certain weight and if that weight is exceeded the likely result is a blowout.
"The driver can then lose control and collide with other motorists, similarly, the consequences of brake failure don't need an explanation and can be just as devastating.
"Police have a zero tolerance to this type of danger and the court clearly takes this type of offence very seriously."