New Committee for Lorry Drivers' Contest to be Formed Soon
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ORGANIZATIONS willing to take part in the promotion of the Lorry Driver of the Year Competition are to be asked to send their nominees to a meeting to be held in Coventry early in the New Year when a new national governing body will be formed.
Coventry City Council will be asked to accept legal responsibility for the final contest next year and to undertake its organization. Thereafter, the onus will lie on the new promoters. The competition will be confined to goods-vehicle drivers.
This decision was reached at a meeting held in Coventry last Friday. It was called by Mr. M. J. Miles, Coventry road safety officer, and presided ova by Cllr. R... W. Brain, chairman of Coventry Road Accident Prevention Council. Cllr. Brain said that the majority of the organizations invited had responded. Those present included representatives of:— Coventry, Portsmouth, Leeds, Birmingham and Oxford Road Accident Prevention Councils (Slough's delegate was unable to attend), Ministry of Works, Industrial Transport Association, Institute of Traffic Administration. Road Haulage Association, Traders' Road Transgon Association. Royal Automobile Club, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, The Commercial Motor, Motor Transport, Transnort and General Workers' Union, British Transport Commission and thc Rootes Group.
The purpose of the meeting, as outlined by Cdr. Brain, was to consider the extension of the number of eliminating rounds, to encourage operators and drivers to take part, to decide the relationship of the promoters of eliminating rounds to the main body, to agree the venue of the final contest and workout a plan for its organization, to set up a national committee and to deal with the question of finance.
This agenda was too ambitious, because the delegates were not authorized to commit their principals, least of all financially.. However, representatives of the T.R.T.A. and the T.G.W.U. promised that their organizations would publicize the competition and give it every encouragement. A representative of Rospa said that the Society was sending particulars of it to all the local accident-prevention federations. A • delegate from the R.H.A. undertook to place the facts before the Association's head office and the local area and sub-area committees.
Through Mr. B. R. Miller, the secretary of the Institute of Traffic Administration offered his services to the new organizing body. Mr. Miller made it clear that, although the Institute supported the principle of the competition, they thought it undesirable that any existing body should assume complete
responsibility for it. The new organization should be fully representative of all those concerned.
Leeds representative said that his committee wanted equal representation on the governing body for each area promoting an eliminating round (Coventry at present has a majority on the committee).
£250,000 Insurance
Discussion was overshadowed by the questions of finance and legal responsibility, although, clearly, little headway could be made until a new committee was set up. Mr. Miles said that, before allowing the R.N.A.S. station at Bramcote to be used for the final contest this year, the Admiralty had required an insurance of £250,000 to be taken out, in addition to which an indemnity for any damage had to be signed.
Coventry City Council undertook% the risk, but before they did so again 4. resolution of the council would have to be passed. Leeds, Slough and Portsmouth, said Mr. Miles, refused to underwrite the indemnity. It was essential that the new organizing body should be a legal entity.
In the absence of legal advice on the practical significance of this requirement, no further progress could be made at the meeting. Mr. Miles said, however, that Oxford hoped to hold an eliminating round next year, and Birmingham and Gateshead were showing interest. Scotland may hold a separate heat.