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136 
Tough tacho review
Page 7
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• Schemes to toughen up tachograph laws are being considered by the Department of Transport.
Transport Secretary Cecil Parkinson wants to change the law so that tachographs can be used as sufficient evidence to prosecute and convict speeding drivers following the recent coach crash in France when 11 people died. At present tachographs can only be used as supporting evidence.
The current regulations came into force after negotiations with union chiefs and the road haulage industry when the tachograph was first introduced more than 10 years ago.
The Government is also examining plans for the'introduc tion of serialised charts. Labour MP David Marshall, chairman of the all-party select committee on transport, says there have been cases of tachograph discs in heavy lorries being discarded when used up and replaced with new ones "so as to allow a further nine hours driving time".
He calls for Government action to prevent this from happening and suggested one way out was the introduction of serialised tachograph discs.
Roads and Traffic Minister Robert Atkins says his Department relies on tachograph checks to catch people who insert new charts illegally. But he promises to look into the serialisation idea.