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Bridge plunge haulier guilty
Page 12
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Following a fatal accident a haulier has been convicted of tacho
offences. Robert lzzard reports. Scottish safety blitz A WEST YORKSHIRE haulier has been convicted of falsifying tacho records following a crash in which one of his drivers died after plunging from a bridge.
Keith Brown, boss of Castlefordbased Keith Brown Transport, appeared before Mildenhall magistrates following an investigation into the crash at Kentford, near Newmarket,on 11 December 2004.
Paul Takvam. 59, of Mirfleld. West Yorks was driving the artic on the westbound carriageway of the Al 4 at 3. lSam when it crossed the central reservation and the eastbound carriageway before crashing through a bridge parapet and plunging 40ft onto the road below.
Takvam died at the scene but his 12-year-old son,Ethan,was thrown clear and survived.
Police concluded that Takvam had fallen asleep at the wheel. At the inquest PC Nick Spencer told Greater Suffolk coroner Dr Peter Dean that he had found evidence in the cab that Takvam had altered the tachograph chart.
An investigation into Keith BrownTransport showed evidence of"consistent and continued abuse of driver legislation". Offences were committed "two or three times a week" with drivers taking insufficient rest.
Murray Oliver, appearing for Brown, told the magistrates that Takvam had ignored repeated requests to follow the hours rules.
Brown admitted making false entries in record sheets, failing to force his driver to take a break in excess of the minimum period, and failing to ensure that tachograph records were kept up to date.
He is due to be sentenced on 22 September. POLICE IN Dumfries & Galloway Constabulary are to crack down on truck drivers using mobile phones while driving as part of a campaign to cut HGV accidents in the region.
Operation Juggernaut is being launched in response to the number of crashes involving HGVs on the A75. In the first half of the year there were 28 accidents, compared with 14 in the same period a year earlier.
The A75 links the port of Stran raer with the motorway network — it canies a great deal of foreign traffic.
Sergeant Stuart Wilson from Stranraer Mobile Support Group says: "We will distribute leaflets to drivers, contractors and ferry companies to ensure the safety messages are getting through.
"It is essential that drivers realise we are not targeting legitimate operators and have no interest in damaging businesses.We are determined to tackle bad driving practices in a bid to prevent a tragedy."