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C t How far would the proposed compulsory motor passenger insurance affect corn mercial vehicles?

5th April 1968, Page 109
5th April 1968
Page 109
Page 109, 5th April 1968 — C t How far would the proposed compulsory motor passenger insurance affect corn mercial vehicles?
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

AIn 1965, when there were 1.6m goods

vehicles on the road. 175 passengers were killed in goods vehicles and 3,045 seriously injured. But these figures include employees carried as passengers.

A recent official report commented that while it was understood there was a proposed exemption of vehicles over 2 tons unladen weight from compulsory motor passenger insurance, the committee set up by the Minister of Transport to review this subject, indicated that it was by no means satisfied with the reasoning behind this exemption. Hauliers had claimed that their vehicles rarely, if ever, carried passengers other than employees, and that passenger carrying was usually prohibited in their instructions to drivers.

But this committee emphasized that

whatever instructions the drivers might have, the fact is that "voluntarypassengers were carried in heavy goods vehicles. The extent carried might be small, but there could be tragedies in this field, the effects of which were not minimized merely by the fact that intending passengers might be warned by written notices in lorry cabs that passengers were carried at -own risk". Moreover, the legal effectiveness of such notices might in any case be open to doubt in certain circumstances.

The committee concluded that the argument as to exemption of heavier goods vehicles was a fine one, but on balance the committee felt, though not unanimous, that it was against any exemption for goods vehicles. The cost would be comparatively small in relation to present comprehensive premiums. But the committee felt that even if some exemption were essential, it should certainly not apply to vehicles of 2 tons unladen weight or less.

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