The politicians and...

The politicians and transport authorities are horribly letting down those at risk of being side-swiped

Some road-related problems take years and piles of cash to solve. Others can be sorted overnight for pennies. And the problem of foreign-registered, sometimes uninsured, trucks crashing into car drivers on British roads should fall into the latter category. The solution to this nightmare is obvious and easy to implement. Yet between them, the politicians and transport authorities are shirking their responsibilities. And in doing so, they’re horribly letting down drivers at risk of being side-swiped by these lorries from mainland Europe and further afield.

For those of you who are fortunate enough never to have witnessed or been involved in one of these terrifying incidents, the problem usually arises when a trucker in a left-hand-drive rig moves from lane one into lane two. If his vehicle is not fitted with a set of inexpensive but strategically placed, perfectly adjusted, clean mirrors, the smaller vehicle in the lane he is moving into can be caught in his potentially lethal blind spot. That’s when the monster lorry slaps the side of the unsighted, comparatively tiny, car, bike or van.

I was hit by a Dutch-registered truck a few years ago. Last week, a friend of mine who’s a highly experienced and competent driver had his life endangered by a lorry that tried to change lanes and slapped the side of his low-slung sports car. The trucker couldn’t speak English. He wrote down the name Mirrione Roland (is that Mr Roland or Mr Mirrione?) and also put in writing that he was from Bolzano, although he didn’t say which country that’s in.

However, he did hand my friend a document called a Carta Internazionale Di Assicurazione Veicoli a Motore, and told him he could keep it. My pal was impressed with the official stamps, original signatures, reference numbers and more on this paperwork. Shame then that when he returned to the safety of his home, he noticed Roland’s insurance had expired before the accident.

All this nonsense, danger, law breaking and sheer frustration can be avoided. Here’s how: every time a foreign-registered truck arrives at a UK port, it needs to be subjected to a handful of proper inspections. Insurance details, driving licences and tachograph records must be shown, cross checked, scanned/photocopied and kept on a database shared between nations. Tyres, lights, brakes and other major components must be given the all clear. Mirror systems have to be appraised, and if they’re not life-saving, they will need to be replaced or modified on the spot by specialist mobile fitters at a premium.

If the foreign truck driver or owner doesn’t like any of the above, fine. After photographs and other details are taken and put on file forever, vehicles and drivers that are wrong ’uns should be allowed time to rest... then sent back at their own expense on a ferry or freight train to Europe or wherever else they came from. Result? The British road network would immediately eliminate unfit or uninsured left-hand-drive vehicles and drivers. And in the interests of safety and fair play, foreign countries could deal with RHD trucks and our drivers in a similar fashion.

Better still, why not experiment with a system that bans left-hand-drive trucks from our roads and right-hookers from theirs? Our boys could then haul trailers from Europe after they’ve been shipped to Blighty. And their lads can do the same when it’s the other way round. Why not? And why not soon – before more cars and their occupants are damaged? Discuss in blogs