Exhaust fumes
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URGENT ACTION to control exhaust fumes from commercial vehicles has been demanded by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. "We consider that smoke emission from diesel engines in the UK is at an unacceptable level," says the report published last week.
The Commission says that the Department of Transport reports that 14 per cent of heavy vehicles emit excessive smoke and it blames poor maintenance of injectors. The fact that few vehicles are picked up on smoke emission at the annual test is attributed to pre-test preparation.
The difficulty is in ensuring adequate maintenance standards between tests, according to the Commission. "A further difficulty is the absence of an effective device to give an objective on-the-spot measurement of smoke emission."
There are about 7,500 prosecutions lodged annually for smoke emission offences.
It calls on the Department of Transport to introduce, urgently, a research programme looking at electronic engine control systems and other forms of engine technology designed to reduce smoke emission with less dependence on maintenance.