Elephant racing

JustinR1979

Crabman wrote: »

I hope not, the number of HGV drivers caught by CMPG watching DVDs while driving, using a mobile phone, tampering with their tacho or simply being blind drunk was shocking.

It's a shame as the majority I'm sure are law abiding, yet those of us who use the motorway network regularly know that the majority of fatals involve an HGV...

Guess the government didn't consult you in the process then.

Avoriaz

......should only be permitted on trunk roads.

[Deleted User]

Strider590 wrote: »

Would you be happy when you go shopping and the shops are empty because the delivery trucks are stuck in grid lock lane 50 miles away?

This is what everyone says, but if the stuff wasn't there in the shops to buy then I wouldn't buy it. Consumerism has got out of control.

robatwork

Avoriaz wrote: »

......should only be permitted on trunk roads.

Tsk tsk....

Paradigm

Crabman wrote: »

It's a shame as the majority I'm sure are law abiding, yet those of us who use the motorway network regularly know that the majority of fatals involve an HGV...

I don't know if this is bourne out by official statistics but it wouldn't surprise me purely because 44 tonnes will cause a lot of damage to whatever it hits. All drivers make mistakes, the effects of a truck drivers mistake are vastly increased by what he is driving.

There are certainly good & bad truck drivers just as there are good & bad in any job/profession you care to name.

The problem I have is that truck driving is now "too easy", most new trucks are autos with cruise, air con, excellent ride, superb noise suppression etc... all a driver has to do is steer the thing!

Add in long motorway journeys at a mind numbing 50-56mph & I for one can see why attention wanders & mistakes are made.

Crabman

Paradigm wrote: »

I don't know if this is bourne out by official statistics but it wouldn't surprise me purely because 44 tonnes will cause a lot of damage to whatever it hits. All drivers make mistakes, the effects of a truck drivers mistake are vastly increased by what he is driving.

The stats speak for themselves, sadly:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15975720

Around the Midlands there have been a number of heartbreaking stories about HGV drivers (subsequently jailed) whose careless or dangerous driving led to deaths, in two separate cases involving children. Enforcement against these drivers (before they kill) can be difficult without the use of a "police" truck.

I don't dispute that most HGVs are driven well and will overtake and return to lane 1 in a timely fashion. Unfortunately there are a minority of idiots out there who deliberately block lanes 1 & 2 for several miles. They shouldn't bother attempting to overtake in the first place as the benefit to them is not worth the inconvenience caused to all the other vehicles.