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Don't turn a blind eye
Page 12
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Could fatal accidents involving immigrant workers be avoided? Mr X believes so, and explains how Vosa could be the key.
February seems to be a month for avoidable disasters. Two years ago we watched the tragedy unfold in Morecambe Bay as 23 immigrant workers drowned within sight of land. And last week the A52 in Lincolnshire was the scene of utterly unnecessary devastation when five immigrant workers and a truck driver died, leaving several others injured. This incident is all the more poignant as it involved some of the best-known names on UK roads. I'm sure all CMreaders would join me in offering condolences to the family of the Hovis driver who lost his life.
I am not suggesting the two incidents are linked. Aside from both involving foreign nationals, the only thing the tragedies have in common is that they were clearly avoidable. There can be few of us in road transport who were not shocked to see the condition of the Morecambe Bay cocklers' vans in the aftermath of that tragedy How was it that they allegedly used vehicles that were not fit for their purpose, day in, day out, in full view of the authorities? That alone should have alerted the powers that be to take a closer look at their activities.
And while the mechanical condition of the minibus involved in the A52 tragedy is not in doubt, there are many unanswered questions surrounding the aptitude of drivers from the more remote parts of Europe and further afield. In fact, migrant workers' driving skills had been the subject of much discussion in the local Lincolnshire press prior to the A52 tragedy. The police had even been offering free driving courses.
My point is this: we have the tools at our disposal to prevent, or at least attempt to prevent, a recurrence of these tragedies. In Vosa we have a highly motivated team on the ground empowered to stop vehicles and check their roadworthiness, and to check the status of the drivers. How much better employed would they be if their remit were extended to the prevention of such tragedies? Turning a blind eye can no longer be condoned, as it can affect all of our lives. Vosa should be the eyes and ears of our hard-pressed police forces, and the police should respond accordingly.