Editorial
Page 4
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Act on report
THE revelations in the Transport and Road Research Laboratory report on accident causes merit immediate attention. From the report it is patently obvious that the simple and obvious elements are being neglected.
It is almost criminal to allow drivers out on motorways with heavy goods vehicles, without an experienced man, until they have 1,000 miles or more under their feet. Motorway driving is quite different from any other. It requires a different technique if only to avoid the other road user. It follows therefore that drivers should be trained on motorways before they use them.
If that is accepted they should be tested on motorways also.
The hgv test is all too simple. Vehicles are unladen and while test routes may include a number of elements there are many vital ones missing. What about traffic conditions, wet weather, hours of darkness, laden vehicles skid control? The test does not cater for these elements.
But the report highlights boredom on motorways, and in a one hour test boredom is unlikely to manifest itself.
It might be considered outrageously expensive to include all of these factors in the course of a test of say four hours. That largely depends on what value is placed on human life.
An inexperienced, undertrained driver is every inch as dangerous as one who is drunk in charge.
The TRRL Report is valuable. It emanates from the Department of Transport but the Department does not say what, if anything it intends to do with the material.
We call on Nicholas Ridley to use it. Whatever else the Minister does in his political life, adding significantly to our road safety would prove to be his "finest hour." He has the tools, let him now get on with the job.