'Real' costs push up police report prices
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by Karen Miles • .A massive increase in prices charged by the police for fatal accident reports is jeopardising research into the causes of truck accidents.
The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), which is studying truck-related fatal accidents, says that the cost of police accident reports has risen by up to 500%, threatening its ability to collate all the necessary reports. The increase follows a suggestion by the Association of Chief Police Officers that police forces should "realistically" cover their costs when sending out reports, which are often requested by insurance Companies.
But the newly privatised organisation says it may not be able to afford to buy all the necessary files.
"This could keep back vital information, so putting bias into
our data,says a source.
The TRL is currently collating fatal accident reports from 1994. This should involve the checking of up to 600 reports, many of which now cost D00---compared to the previous police report charges of The TRL's study centres on the causes and number of fatal accidents involving trucks, as well as other large vehicles such as mobile cranes and agricultural vehicles.
ACP° says that the revised charging system is operating "quite well" and that it has not had an official complaint from the TRL.
"We are very willing to discuss the issue with the TRL," says ACPO.
"We need to have a clear understanding with them."