LGV Drivers Using Mobile Phones Behind the Wheel Anger Police
The chief constable of Essex police force, Stephen Kavanagh has said that LGV drivers using a mobile phone behind the wheel should be sacked and prosecuted.
Kavanagh said that he and his team “constantly” had to reinforce the message of using mobile phones whilst driving and that haulage companies should be doing more to stop their employees from breaking this law. He also said that some of the excuses he heard for using mobile phones while driving were drivers being lazy and having conversations that could wait and it unnecessarily endangers the lives of others and has ended up killing cyclists on our roads. He also suggested that “Professional agencies that employ people who get caught using mobile phones should dismiss them. Professional drivers should behave in a professional manner and the companies that employ them should start reinforcing some of these messages.”
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents however said that dismissals should only be considered after a disciplinary inquiry from the company. Jack Semple the policy director for the RHA said “As far as the RHA is concerned, there’s no excuse for the misuse of mobile phones, that should be made clear in employment contracts and we do make it clear in RHA’s specimen contract we draw up for members. In terms of the consequences, lorry drivers face more serious penalties than other motorists so, as a rule of thumb, their vocational licence is likely to be suspended for three weeks by a TC for a first offence. The consequences are already significant," added Semple.
For more information on LGV offence policies visit Road Traffic Law.com.
Kavanagh said that he and his team “constantly” had to reinforce the message of using mobile phones whilst driving and that haulage companies should be doing more to stop their employees from breaking this law. He also said that some of the excuses he heard for using mobile phones while driving were drivers being lazy and having conversations that could wait and it unnecessarily endangers the lives of others and has ended up killing cyclists on our roads. He also suggested that “Professional agencies that employ people who get caught using mobile phones should dismiss them. Professional drivers should behave in a professional manner and the companies that employ them should start reinforcing some of these messages.”
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents however said that dismissals should only be considered after a disciplinary inquiry from the company. Jack Semple the policy director for the RHA said “As far as the RHA is concerned, there’s no excuse for the misuse of mobile phones, that should be made clear in employment contracts and we do make it clear in RHA’s specimen contract we draw up for members. In terms of the consequences, lorry drivers face more serious penalties than other motorists so, as a rule of thumb, their vocational licence is likely to be suspended for three weeks by a TC for a first offence. The consequences are already significant," added Semple.
For more information on LGV offence policies visit Road Traffic Law.com.
