Illegal behaviour rampant among HGV drivers.

[glenn forger]

Two thirds of lorries defective or illegal.

Two thirds of lorries stopped by police are defective or being driven illegally, police records indicate, raising concerns over the safety of cyclists and other road users.

Just 24 per cent of vehicles complied with regulations covering maintenance, how loads are carried, insurance and how long drivers have been on the road. Officers fined 243 lorry drivers for operating without a licence or working long hours, or for driving with insecure loads, broken lights or running a truck that was in poor condition.

Police seized 14 lorries, including an 18-tonne scaffolding lorry whose driver was uninsured and driving without a proper licence, as well as having various mechanical defects on the vehicle.

Shocking.

 

[Dave 123]

I don't want to be negative, but what's the source?

 

[glenn forger]

Free to view:

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article3966743.ece

What have I always said about scaffolding lorries?

 

[glenn forger]

In the first two months of a police clampdown on the most dangerous construction vehicles, 622 out of the 821 lorries stopped by officers failed to comply with the existing safety rules. Only 32 trucks had mirrors and safety equipment, including bars to prevent cyclists being crushed beneath the wheels, as required by law.

Any vehicle found unfit to remain on the roads must be in a shocking state. They should name and shame the companies, that would be interesting, and useful.

 

[glenn forger]

VOSA checks are random. In 2012-13 30% of those HGVs checked were issued prohibition notices on grounds of mechanical failure and 19% on grounds of drivers' hours.

 

[Doc333]

The biggest load of bollox I've read on this site. 243 trucks go past my place of work every 4-hours, which means that your quote is actually a tiny, tiny, minuscule fraction of the trucks that occupy our UK roads. Point 2 When police pull a truck its because it looks dodgy, which usually means a foreign (Eastern European) truck. Point 3 this could be a snapshot of one particular area like Dover for instance.

Please don't allow your obvious hatred of motorists cloud your judgement. Oh and by the way, if more HGV drivers were driving cars cyclists would be far safer

 

[Fab Foodie]

[QUOTE 2859173, member: 45"]I'd be interested to know whether they stopped all lorries that passed them or picked their targets, as this would skew the statistics.[/quote]
I'd suggest you're thinking is correct. I can't imagine that the large well known fleets out there are operating in an unsafe manner ... though I'd hate to be wrong ....

 

[Doc333]

A classic case would be trucks trying to deliver inside the M25 corridor, because of mad Boris and his emissions zone. Many truck operators are not aware that to deliver down there trucks need to comply with Euro 4, 5 or 6 standards. However many brand new trucks are only Euro 2 and 3 specification. Brand new trucks could fall foul of this local rule and be breaking the law. Idiotic rule as Euro, 4, 5 & 6 trucks are much more expensive and cost more to run, so it costs more tp service London area and is discriminatory.

 

[glenn forger]

Only 30 per cent of the almost 6,000 vehicles stopped in the 11 months from January were driven legally or free from defects.

http://road.cc/content/news/106178-...ice-are-driven-illegally-or-lack-basic-safety

So why muck about asking cyclists silly questions about hi vis when four thousand lorries are trundling around London as they or their driver is breaking the law in some way?

 

[Dave 123]

It may well be true, and I know that lorries are the cyclists bogey man but how many vehicles (lorries included) are defective and being driven by nobbers who shouldn't have the privilege of a driving licence.

All drivers (me included) should be tested on a regular basis.

Once all the students are back in cambridge I will do a survey on how many cyclists go down the inside of cars, vans, busses, lorries in a lane that you can go straight on AND left in.

Yes, some lorry drivers are eejits, but so are a fair % of every other road user group.

We ALL need to up our game.

 

[buggi]

they might say VOSA checks are random but pound to a penny the cops are suspicious before they pull them over, which kind of skews the statistic.

 

[Adam4868]

Vosa isnt random thats for sure,and what counts as a serious defect ? It wouldnt be hard to find somthing wrong with a hgv,but i dont think it reflects them countrywide.

 

[PaulSecteur]

I have to drive on the 50mph bit of the m5 every day. Lorry drivers don't seem to be aware that "only a fool breaks the 2 second rule"

I would really like to see more plods on that bit.

 

[summerdays]

I thought that when I read the article earlier that it was specifically construction traffic?

 

[theclaud]

It may well be true, and I know that lorries are the cyclists bogey man but how many vehicles (lorries included) are defective and being driven by nobbers who shouldn't have the privilege of a driving licence.

All drivers (me included) should be tested on a regular basis.

Once all the students are back in cambridge I will do a survey on how many cyclists go down the inside of cars, vans, busses, lorries in a lane that you can go straight on AND left in.

Yes, some lorry drivers are eejits, but so are a fair % of every other road user group.

We ALL need to up our game.

And cyclists are killing how many lorry drivers exactly?