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( here safety is not regarded as being part of the normal running costs it produces an unfair advantage over others who choose not to run their drivers ragged," insists Gwyneth Dunwoody, the Labour MP for Crewe and Mantwich, and a member of the All Party Select Committee on Transport.
Dunwoody has supported vehicle safety campaign Brake. The Heavy Goods Vehicles (Safety) Bill that she introduced to the Commons seeks to tighten the law on LGVs. She is not impressed by the level of enforcement that is currently imposed.
For Dunwoody the issue is a simple one. Unless the probability of detection is increased and the sanctions imposed by the Courts begin to reflect the true nature of the offence, irresponsible hauliers will continue to play fast and loose with the law.
"There is enormous pressure on people in the freight industry," she says. "The temptation to cut corners is very strong—the reality is that there are a number of operators who are running unlicensed lorries who don't appear to be as careful of the law as they ought to be and who, when they are caught, can be fined so little that they are prepared to run the risk." In the light of her well-known concern about this element within the haulage industry who give every appearance of a total disregard for the safety of others, Dunwoody was approached by the newly formed Brake Campaign and asked to help.
Her position on the All Party Transport Committee had already provided her with a wealth of evidence to convince her of the need for action and she did so willingly. However, she is nothing if not pragmatic.
"I fully recognise that my powers of influence as an opposition MP are severely limited," she says.
"All I can do is bring pressure to bear upon the Minister through meetings and discussions to try and ensure that the Government places a higher priority on road safety than is currently the case."
Raise awareness
Dunwoody's Bill is an attempt to raise awareness about heavy goods vehicles and road safety by: • Increasing the number of WV inspections by Traffic Area Offices, the VI and the police; • Imposing a limit of 11 hours on each driver with a statutory rest period of 30 minutes in each three hours worked; • Introducing compulsory registration of LGV driver training schools and a nationally approved course for LGV mechanics.
• Giving bereaved families the right to appeal against the decisions of the Traffic Commissioners and modifying the appeals procedure.
Dunwoody admits that some of the proposals might be viewed as over the top by the industry. But she says that with a 20% reduction in the strength of the Vehicle Inspectorate and the increasing removal of traffic management from the core duties of the police, there was cause for concern.
LGV accident victims do not believe that the current regulations work, she adds, nor is the action taken against those alleged to be responsible for serious accidents like Sowerby Bridge anything like sufficient.
"There has never been a case of manslaughter against a haulier," says Dunwoody. "There must be a greater willingness to pursue this course where it is warranted by the evidence." In a number of recent cases defective maintenance, rather than dangerous driving, has caused fatalities. She believes the only charge which is capable of reflecting the severity of the offence is manslaughter rather than the more usual "causing death by dangerous driving".
Another aspect of the Brake campaign is to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated_
Accident investigation
Dunwoody is worried that the police may disband specialist accident investigation units. This concerns her because "unless we are able to say what went wrong and why, we are unlikely to improve our levels of safety".
She accepts that her bill has little chance of reaching the statute book. That, for her, is not the point. What she and her partners on the Brake campaign aim to do is raise the pro-file of road safety to the point where it can no longer be ignored. She is determined to go on raising the subject for as long as it takes.
"We are setting up an all-party lobby to press home the message about heavy goods vehicles," she says, "and there will be meetings and other activities throughout the Parliamentary year. In October I hope to introduce another bill on the same subject as the current one.
"As the time for the next General Election approaches we hope that our efforts will result in the issues being discussed as a policy statement," she says.
Li by Patrick Hook