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BRITISH: 7,488 FOREIGNERS: 5
Page 10
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How many UK HGV drivers do you think VOSA prosecutes for hours or tachograph offences each year? Have a guess. Hundreds? Thousands? Actually 7,488 were convicted and as far as we're concerned if you're fiddling your clock you deserve it. No problem there.
What is of concern to Commercial Motor are the answers given in parliament by transport minister David Jamieson about the number of foreign drivers prosecuted for hours offences. Go on, guess again. You'll enjoy this. Of about 1.5 million trips by foreign trucks to the UK in 2003, the number prosecuted for hours offences was... two. Almost 2,300 were prohibited from continuing; but pursued by the authorities, even fined to cover our administrative costs? No.
And before you think more foreigners were prosecuted for other offences tachograph abuse for instance the last recorded number was three.
VOSA is stopping more foreign trucks than ever and for this we should be grateful. But it is blatantly unfair to all UK drivers, both car and truck, (11 million of whom were fined or worse for some offence in the past year...) that these rule breakers are just admonished. And what message does it send? Don't worry about breaking the rules in Britain, they'll just let you take a nap.
The costs and difficulties of pursuing court action across the Channel or having points endorsed throughout Europe are substantial. We accept this. So fine them on the spot. Spain does it. France does it. So why don't we? It's time we stopped subsidising and aiding foreign law-breakers and cracked down. In the interests of morality, competition, public finance and safety, a firm, equal and effective policy must be put in place. After all, justice is meant to be blind, not stupid.
Can't pursue them across the Channel? So fine them on the spot Spain does it "
• A new toll road is being promised between Manchester and Birmingham. Although the M6 Toll is not used by many truckers, it has cleared other roads for them. But it will be better still if the new route is priced competitively enough for the transport industry to actually want to use it.