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dd The results of a survey by Brake and Green Flag
Page 50
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Motoring Assistance which found that only 2% of drivers stop for a 10-minute break every two hours in order to combat tiredness, I CM22-28 August) deserves a response in defence of honest hauliers.
It is my personal viewpcint that the majority of drivers in our industry act professionally but get slagged off in the press as if they are the irresponsible ones. Always remember, our drivers are like the captains of aircraft: their life is at risk along with others if they act in an irresponsible manner.
I have in the past voiced my concern, through CM 's letters pages, about DoT criticism of HGVs exceeding the 40mph speed limit ( CM15-21Aug) and have received many phone calls in support of removing the antiquated 40mph knit. i believe that this is one of the reasons drivers nod off at the wheel—they are travelling so slowly they lose concentration.
The next issue is safety. I want to achieve safety on our roads and HGVs travelling at 40mph cause motorists a great deal of frustration and, when in a queue of traffic, overtaking is a recip( for a head-on collision.
One company that phoned me recently described how one its drivers was travelling on the A9 going north to Inverness wh he was stopped by the police for having a queue of traffic behir him. He was given a warning that if the police followed him agaii with a tailback of cars behind him while he had passed two laybys without pulling in, then he would be booked for obstruction. The driver asked if it would be better if he travelled at 43-50mp He was told that if he travelled at those speeds he would be booked for speeding.
The Selby rail crash was a terrible disaster and all steps muE be taken to prevent the same thing happening again. But it was not an HGV driver who caused that accident. The government advice of a 10-minute break after two hours' driving will not cour on a tachograph as a rest period. Also, where are all the lay-by: and service stations needed to accommodate HGV drivers who want to take a break after two hours? Every driver's need for sleep and rest are different, and many other factors in life will come into that rest requirement.
I am not surprised at the result of the Brake/Green Flag survey, bearing in mind that all HGV drivers have tachograph regulations to adhere to. And in any case, how many of the drivers interviewed for the survey were HGV drivers?
The big problem is not the HGV driver but the motorist who has no regulations to control the length of time he drives. Motorists can go from Land's End to John O'Groats without a rest period, or motor all night going on holiday—and many of them only drive occasionally.
The results of the Brake/Green Flag survey are certainly disappointing, but to describe them as "shocking is to overstate your case.