‘Catastrophic’ backlog at driving licence body, warns union
Union says decisions made by managers at the DVLA driving licence body have meant a “catastrophic” processing backlog of 1.4 million cases. Mark Serwotka, head of the Public and Commercial Services union, said if staff were allowed to work from home the backlog could be reduced. He told Transport Committee MPs other members of the […]
HGV driver shortage made worse by lack of testing capacity
The government has published an open letter to the UK Logistics Sector and announced plans to increase lorry driving tests. In the letter from the Departments of Works and Pensions, Transport and Environment & Rural Affairs, the shortage of drivers is acknowledged and it outlines the measures being taken to try and raise the number of […]
Smart Motorways – “not so smart” – says Transport Secretary Grant Shapps
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has told the Parliamentary Transport Committee that radar technology capable of detecting a broken down car in just 20 seconds wil be installed on all smart motorways that do not have a hard shoulder, by next year. To improve safety, more regular lay-bys would also be installed, and drivers who […]
Death toll on smart motorways hits new record
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
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 […]
Do You Know the Drivers’ Hours Rules for Your Van Drivers?
Van Drivers Must Follow HGV Drivers’ Hours Rules to Avoid a Possible £300 Fine Many van drivers do not realise that they are subject to the same working hours and rest periods as HGV drivers. Exceeding the UK daily driving hours limit could result in a £300 fine. Failing to take breaks and exceeding the […]
Highways England cameras catch 10,000 tailgaters in two weeks
Highways England Press Release – Almost 10,000 vehicles were caught tailgating in the first two weeks of new cameras being tested to clamp down on the offence. Highways England and police have joined forces to tackle the offence which is a factor in around one in eight casualties on England’s motorways and major A […]
Five people per day still dying on UK roads. But the trend is down
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 […]
Smart motorways trade ‘driver safety for lower costs’, police and crime commissioner says
Just days after a coroner calls for a review into smart motorways, a police and crime commissioner calls for them to be scrapped The Daily Telegraph report 23rd January 2021 by Steve Bird Grant Shapps and Highways England “have traded driver safety for lower costs” and are using “flawed” logic to claim “dangerous” smart motorways […]
Tyres over 10 years old on heavy vehicles to be banned from February 2021
Earlier this year, the Government announced that tyres aged over 10 years will be banned on the front axles of lorries, buses, coaches and all single wheels of minibuses (9 to 16 passenger seats). The legislation takes effect on 1 February 2021. We will be enforcing the legislation at roadside checks along with the […]