RAC wants drivers to report smokers
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by Miles Brignall • Hauliers running smoky trucks may soon be getting warning letters from the Vehicle Inspectorate thanks to an RAC campaign to encourage car drivers to report vehicles they see belching black smoke.
CVs are responsible for 90% of all the black smoke produced by traffic, says the RAC. It wants car drivers to call VI hotlines across the country to report offenders.
The RAC is already campaigning for tougher MOT limits and stronger enforcement: now it is calling for extra exhaust checks funded from parking ticket receipts. The RAC has monitored the emissions of 100,000 vehicles over the past four years and says that 10% of them cause more than 50% of all pollution. "By targeting these vehicles emission levels could be cut by half," it says.
The VI says that any haulier reported to one of its hotlines will be sent a letter but will only be visited if it is "deemed necessary". Persistent offenders could be threatened with restrictions to their 0-licences.
But Freight Transport Association director-general David Green is disappointed that the RAC is diverting attention from the nation's 23-million cars.
"Emissions from lorries have reduced sharply in recent years and will continue to do so in the future," he says. "RAC spot checks on motorists appear to have produced anecdotal and emotive views which should not be used to as an accurate assessment of the situation."