Driving for Better Business, the Government campaign group that encourages work-related road safety, has recently shared the results of one police force’s recent operation focused on commercial drivers, urging employers to be aware of the speed restrictions on their drivers and ensure schedules are realistic.
The operation was conducted by Highways England and Devon and Cornwall Police’s “No Excuse” team, which is dedicated to concentrated efforts on road safety.
In the run-up to Christmas 2018, the team targeted light commercial vehicles, with 132 such drivers being found to be breaking the law.
Offences picked up on the day included the following.
A motorist reported for careless driving turned out to be on his way back from a job interview as a class 1 tanker driver, despite the fact that 3 penalty points would disqualify him from this role.
A self-employed driver in a liveried van for a major delivery company was stopped for eating while driving and found to have borderline defective rear tyres.
One commercial driver reported for inconsiderate driving even headlight-flashed one of the unmarked “No Excuse” police vehicles to get out of his way as he sped along the A38.
Commenting on the operation, Motor Police Constable Ralph Delbridge of the No Excuse Team, who led the operation, said, “We were able to offer discretionary words of advice to several commercial drivers. Additionally, Highways England staff conducted surveys with drivers… and will follow these up with company and fleet managers to further educate not only the drivers, but also the employers.
“This helps to ensure that employers are aware of the speed restrictions their drivers have to work within and to ensure not only that realistic scheduling is compiled, so that they do not have to speed between jobs or deliveries, but also that they take into account the health and safety of their driving staff.”
Credit: Croner-i