How safe are foreign lorry drivers?
The One Show's Rav Wilding has been reporting on the of foreign lorry drivers on Britain's motorways.
Foreign lorries are not subject to the same rules as UK lorries and they are statistically more prone to being overloaded, dangerous and driven by tired or inexperienced drivers - according to figures.
These figures are backed by many British lorry drivers - many of whom do not believe that they are operating on a 'level playing field' with foreign drivers.
Earlier this year the government allocated VOSA £24 million in funding. They're using it to recruit and train around 130 new staff dedicated to around-the-clock roadside checks. They are hoping to increase the number of checks carried out by around 50% and to double the number of prohibitions, where a vehicle or driver is prevented from continuing their journey until the fault has been rectified.
Yet we rely on the goods delivered by foreign lorries, and as Rav heard from a foreign driver: "Everywhere in the world there are bad and good drivers".
How safe are foreign lorry drivers? What are your experiences? Are the foreign drivers being treated unfairly? Or should more be done to 'level the playing field'?
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