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Why do people sit beside these lorries?-either hang back or overtake-you've also got headlights and a horn to let him know you're there and before anyone comments-I had a Class 1 for 30+yr. and no accidents.It applies just as much to our lorries in Europe.
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Unfortunately Pug, CPS has the clout. They decide whether the prosecution goes ahead. I think it is an exercise by police aimed at getting CPS on board. Issuing a summons or making an arrest does not guarantee CPS allowing a prosecution to run its full course.
(think of it like Mourinho going to see the leader of the Refs about a problem, but in a much more mature manner and about a more important subject)
It is not unknown for police to approach CPS (and vice versa) if there is a perceived problem with an individual or with a particular prosecutions policy,
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I'm well aware of that - seeing as I work with them most days. I am getting annoyed with the Police's habit of "let's run it past the CPS before we do anything" its stiffling the CJS at birth. Post PACE I have dealt with dozens of cases where foreign drivers were nicked at the roadside. This quote to the press is typical wishy wahsiness. PACE always allowed a power of arrest and investigation, by all means (as required these days) go to the CPS at point of the decision to charge, but that quote says nothing ! SOCA makes this easier for goodness sake.
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I'm well aware of that - seeing as I work with them most days.
well, I was one for 30yrs (+1 day extra for good luck) We went from a prosecuting authority back in the 1970's to a supine, powerless quango in the new age. I used to nick people, tell the custody sergeant what to charge them with (often on a wing and prayer) take them before the court myself, object to bail AND do the prosecution on a "not guilty plea" at summary trial in magistrates court. Often, no prosecution solicitor was involved. It was OUR collar, WE owned it, and god help anyone who tried to take it away! Imagine that now?
Now, police have lost the ability to prosecute, CPS loses the papers, the plot, the trials and blame the police. We have a bunch of 3rd rate solicitors who, if they were any good would be in private practice. Not only are they 3rd rate, but there is a mandate to cut down on the number of prosecutions to save money. Police have become very political and will try to finesse good media cover by "consulting". Everyone tells them that's what they want, so that's what they get. I don't blame the police. Everyone is willing to pass the buck onto them. So, go to the CPS, say this is the problem, they shrug their shoulders, you then shrug your shoulders and tell Joe Public, (the taxpayer) that the CPS doesn't think it cuts the mustard.
PS....Police aren't perfect, far from it. But CPS is a joke and needs a kick up the jacks.
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Yes, my views as widely expressed on this site (about the Police that is), CPS makes my job so easy at times..
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dont think new mirrors are going to make these HGV's safe
I would ban them
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Why ban them? want our lorries banned abroad?
If you want them off our roads you need to get people buying british made goods. Its the only long term way !
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British made goods. Rovers? No thanks.
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yep I would ban our HGV cabs on the continent too
personally I drive to Dover, dump the car there, go across as a foot passenger, and pick a hire car up at the other side, same for ferry trip to Spain, I wouldnt risk my life driving a right hand drive car out there
for HGV's there is no reason the trailers could not be swapped to a cab with the wheel on the correct side at the ferry terminal
would not add much to the cost is the grand scheme of things
and a lot better than the countless accidents these things cause
and as a left hand drive HGV nearly killed me the other day (sorry I didnt see him officer) I think I am pretty well qualiified enough to comment
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No need for any drastic measures. It appears that the problem will be alleviated by the new mirror regulations, although a good few years late.
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Shame people have never been in a cab and understood how little vision a lorry driver has before complaiing of not being seen. Always give a lorry extra room in case he has not seen you? i think thats in the highway code?
Also the cars made in china will be much better than when they were made in britain wont they?
Rover cars (later models) were actually very good cars spoiled by a poor engine. Same cant be said for far eastern imports generally?
What on earth is wrong with using your mirrors whatever side of the road you drive on?
Best idea Ive seen on this thread so far is the idea of swapping tractor units when trailer arrives in country with opposite driving postion? Just think of the storage area needed for the opposite tractor units whilst the trailers are driven, unloaded and returned?
Better driving is whats needed not more legislation. hence the traffic cops not speed cameras I keep banging on about !
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"Rover cars (later models) were actually very good cars spoiled by a poor engine."
With the exception of the 75 and some of the MG spin-offs, the range was pitifully outclassed by the late 1990's, demonstrated by the miserable sales figures and eventual demise of the company.
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What you describe is exactly what used to happen, trailers dropped off for the ferry and picked up at the other side by another tractor unit. It does still happen, but usually it is far cheaper for the original cab/haulier to continue the journey rather than a UK haulier pick the trailer up at the ferry port.......
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Forgot to add, and thus the massive influx of foreign wagons in the past few years.
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Yes,unaccompanied trailers on ferries is nothing new,and does happen quite a lot,but more often than not,it's the same haulier at the other end,who moves it onward.
How does that work then,you ask?
Well,a company may have a driver who is away for a week or two,say,in France,and the driver at this end,may only be a day driver,or a driver who is only away for a couple of nights,and needs to be home,for whatever reason.So he takes it to the ferry port,drops it,and brings the other trailer back to base.
However,if that were to be made law,and another haulier in the respective country then forwards the trailer onto it's final destination(s),then costs would inevitably rise,as you then have 2 companies doing the same job,and who pays for it????? The customer at the end of the line.Now saying as we in this country want everything as cheap as possible,then it ain't going to happen.
And remember that in this country,VOSA dictate that a vehicle and trailer must be serviced/inspected every 6 weeks.Can you imagine if a trailer went missing in Europe for say 3-6 months,courtesy of Pierre le Frenchman haulage,as he was using it for domestic work,and then upon return to this country,was involved in an accident? Joe public would be shouting from the rooftops that the trailer was unroadworthy and shouldn't be on the road etc etc,and that the British driver concerned should be strung up by the danglies,even though it wouldn't be his fault,because as a driver,the scheduling of the maintenance is not his responsibility.That is one reason why it's better that one company does the job,in order that they may meet their safety obligations in this country.
What I will say on the matter of safety though,and I believe that one of the national daily papers highlighted this recently,is that it's high time that VOSA and the Government,stopped EVERY foreign lorry that came into this country,and did safety checks on them,in order to check their roadworthiness to drive on our roads.If they're unsafe,then impound the truck,spot fine the driver for hours infringements where applicable, (Like the French do to ours.) and don't release it until it's fit for the road.Give the owner say,a week to repair it,put it through a British MOT test,then let it go once clear.If the owner refuses,then crush it,like they are now doing with untaxed cars.But like everything else,it all comes down to £££££,and it's probably cheaper to have someone killed at the wheels of a foreigner,than pump money into road safety.
Ken.
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As from April next year,all EU goverments should be sharing vehicle registration info-so your continental speeding fines( eg. cameras)will catch up with you but,as with most EU legislation,probably only the UK will enforce it.
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As said earlier, why hang about next to them?Today went to pass two flour tankers(dual carriageway),car in front of me trundled along next to the lead truck,leaving me boxed in.We were doing forty in a forty limit,he did not dare risk doing 45 for half a minute to get past them
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a forty limit,he did not dare risk doing 45 forhalf a minute to get past them
Our roads are so full of such drivers that we are slowed to their incredibly annoying pathetic waddle most of the time. And there are people ON THIS FORUM who think it's perfectly all right and try to bully us with ridiculous fantasies about running over children and so on.
They think if they do 42 in a 40 limit they will cause a bloodbath. Pink fluffy dice doesn't begin to say it. These pathetic onanists are more dangerous than you or me sierraman. But they're too dumb to see it, and the government's on their side.
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Yeah, but objectively HJ, if you apply that sort of pressure you foster that sort of attitude, not in everyone perhaps but in a high proportion of people... I don't suppose hisonner wants to reduce cashflow in the West End either, but that's the effect of the thingy zone...
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Well said HJ.
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