Cab phones rescue risk
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/ Truck drivers who break down on motorways and use a cab phone to call a recovery firm direct without informing the police are endangering lives, says the managing director of one of the UK's biggest breakdown networks.
Ray Combs of AA-BRS says that when this happens a rescue operation is mounted without any police precautions being taken. 'Without police help, recovering a truck from the side of a motorway can be an extremely hazardous operation," he claims. "It's putting our recovery operators in as much danger as the drivers of broken down vehicles."
Using motorway phones means police are notified, and it also helps them pinpoint the scene of the incident, he adds.
Peter Cosby, chairman of rescue operators' association RRRO agrees. "If we are called
direct, we always phone the police," he says. "No matter what the driver says, we do it safely." Many drivers do not want the police involved because their vehicle is overloaded or they have caused an accident, Cosby believes.