Driver fatigue is not a serious problem
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• The Minister of Transport's view that the permitted driving time of transport drivers had to be reduced in the interest of road safety was challenged on Friday by Mr. Noel Wynn, RHA vice-chairman. Speaking at the South Wales area dinner he asserted that tired drivers were not a serious problem, adding: "In fact, I would go so far as to say that accidents caused by tiredness are few and far between, and that the Ministry's views are not supported by any statistical evidence".
Mr. Wynn said hauliers were not opposed to any reasonable proposal to shorten hours of work, so long as drivers were willing to increase productivity and that operating circumstances enabled it to be increased. But he thought Mrs. Castle was "too naive by half" when she said productivity could be so improved that work output would be unchanged despite shorter hours. And he urged her to explore the whole matter in depth with hauliers before implementing the proposals.
On the BR chairman's recent reassurance about a reasonable attitude to future licensing objections, Mr. Wynn said he found this of little comfort.