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Depot Manager killed by reversing truck – haulage company fined £2.2 million

man in hi viz clothing giving directions to reversing vehicle

Turners (Soham) and The Haulage Group have been  fined £2.2m  after depot manager was killed by a  reversing truck. Neil Roberts, 60, worked for Turners (Soham) when he was hit by the truck on 30 August 2019. The incident occurred at the premises of The Haulage Group, previously known as Howell Group, in Birmingham when […]

Newly Qualified Drivers Could Be Banned From Carrying Passengers

The government is considering a change in the L driver licensing process to stop newly qualified young drivers from giving lifts to friends in efforts to stop peer-pressure car crashes. Drivers under the age of 25 could be prevented from having any young passengers in the vehicle as part of a ‘graduated driving licence’. Young […]

Rishi Sunak Scraps 11 New Smart Motorways

The building of 11 new smart motorways is being cancelled as prime minister Rishi Sunak admitted there are concerns about their safety and cost. Fourteen planned smart motorways – including 11 that are already paused,  and three that are due for construction – will be removed from government road-building plans as a result of financial pressures, […]

Have your say on proposed changes to Driver CPC

Car - Truck

The Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training (JAUPT) recently launched a consultation seeking feedback from stakeholders on proposed changes to the periodic training system for commercial drivers. The consultation is open from 15th March 2023 to 27th April 2023, and JAUPT have invited input from a wide range of interested parties, including drivers, training providers, […]

Are speed limiters on the way for all new cars?

Car - Motor vehicle

From  6th July 2022, all new cars sold in the EU must be fitted with speed limiters fitted as standard.  The limiters, technically known as Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) will also need to be retro fitted to any new cars currently in showrooms.   The deadline for this is July 7th 2024. Reduced Journey Times Advocates […]

Death toll on smart motorways hits new record

Traffic sign - Controlled-access highway

From Sunday Times article February 21st 2021 A delayed report by the Department of Transport reveals an increase in the number of deaths related to smart motorways. There were 14 fatalities in 2019 on motorways where hard shoulders operate as full-time or part- time traffic lanes, according to data collected by the DfT but not […]

Smart Motorways: Highways England referred to CPS over M1 death

Motor vehicle - Lane

From BBC Sheffield & South Yorkshire  12th February 2021  Highways England should be investigated over possible manslaughter charges after a woman’s death on a smart motorway, a coroner has said. A week after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps described smart motorways as “not so smart”,   a coroner has stated that Highways England should be referred to […]

Five people per day still dying on UK roads. But the trend is down

Road Safety West Midlands ambulance & fire service personnel in yellow hi viz inspecting an over turned car on a grass verge

There were 1,752 reported road deaths in 2019, similar to the level seen since 2012, which follows a period of substantial reduction in fatalities from 2006 to 2010. The figures were reported in the government’s reported road casualties annual report for 2019   There were 25,945 serious injuries in road traffic accidents reported to the […]