Memorandum by the Road Haulage Association
Ltd (RTS 46)
ROAD TRAFFIC SPEED
INTRODUCTION
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) was formed
in 1945 to look after the interests of haulage contractors in
various areas of the country, in effect, amalgamating local organisations
that had been established. The Association has subsequently developed
to become the primary trade association representing the hire-or
reward sector of the road transport industry. There are now some
10,000 companies in membership varying from major companies with
over 5,000 vehicles down to single vehicle owner-drivers.
BACKGROUND TO
THE INDUSTRY
The road haulage industry plays a pivotal role
in the United Kingdom economy carrying over 80 per cent of all
domestic freight. In 2000 this amounted to:
— 1,038 million tonnes carried in hire-or-reward
vehicles;
— 556 million tonnes carried in own-account
operators' vehicles;
— a total of 1,593 million tonnes moved
by road transport;
— 152 billion tonne kilometres on road
transport;
— an average length of haul of 49 kilometres
for rigid vehicles, 134 kilometres for articulated vehicles and
94 kilometres as an overall average.
There are around 52,000 businesses in the industry
and between them they operate some 423,000 vehicles over 3.5 tonnes
gross vehicle weight.
THE ROLE
OF ROAD
HAULAGE
Modern day lifestyles are heavily dependent
on the ready availability of efficient freight transport. Without
it retailers would not be able to offer the range of produce that
they do throughout the year at acceptable prices (items that previously
would have been available only on a seasonal basis) and manufacturers'
costs would be higher, leading either to more expensive goods
to the consumer or to the loss of business to competition from
abroad. Those who would wish to reduce the movement of lorries
on the roads must accept therefore that society in general would
need to be prepared to accept some very significant changes to
lifestyles. That said the industry is constantly seeking ways
to improve its efficiency and effectiveness and to reduce the
impact that it has on the environment and on the community in
general.
GENERAL SAFETY
Safety is of paramount importance to those involved
in the industry. Successive Governments have made great efforts
to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on
the roads and this should remain a key priority. The haulage industry
is very heavily regulated in this area, primarily through the
requirements of the Operator Licensing system: vehicles have to
meet very stringent safety standards; speeds are limited; operators
are regularly checked on their maintenance records and general
management practices; drivers must have special licences to drive
the vehicles and (even in advance of the Working Time Directive)
their working times are heavily regulated. The system is "policed"
by a network of Traffic Commissioners who have powers to restrict,
or indeed revoke, an operators' licence if the requirements of
the system are not met fully.
The vast majority of hauliers respect these
rules and regulations. But as with any other industry there are
inevitably a few "cowboy" operators who routinely flout
the law. Such illegal operators not only damage the reputation
of the industry as a whole and pose a safety risk to other road
users, they also deprive legitimate operators of business. The
RHA believes therefore that enforcement of these regulations is
essential and is pleased that further powers, which allow for
the impounding of vehicles operated without an O licence, have
now been introduced.
ACCIDENTS
Government figures give the following data for
HGVs (figures for 1998):
— 13,278 injury accidents involving
HGVs;
— 576 deaths in these accidents;
— 2,692 serious injuries.
In 1998 KSI (killed and seriously injured) casualties
were 50 per cent fewer than in 1997 and were at their lowest level
for more than 20 years. HGVs account for far fewer casualties
than cars, although because of a truck's dimensions, accidents
that do involve HGVs are likely to be more serious. Whilst accident
involvement for HGVs has remained fairly constant since Government
road safety targets were first introduced in 1987, this has been
achieved despite an increase of HGVs traffic of 50 per cent over
the same period.
SPEED
It is difficult to assess precisely how many
accidents are directly caused by speeding. However, it is common
sense that excessive or inappropriate speed will increase considerably
the risk of being involved in a serious accident. As with all
other classes of vehicle, statistics demonstrate that there is
an element of non-compliance with speed limits amongst HGV drivers.
The RHA does not condone any kind of illegal operation including
the breaking of speed limits. However, we believe that the current
speed regulations for commercial vehicles may actually be contributing
to the problem and possibly introducing an increased risk of accident.
Speed limits for goods vehicles vary quite considerably
from those that apply to cars as follows:
SPEED LIMITS BY VEHICLE TYPE AND ROAD TYPE
| Vehicle | Built up areas
| Single
carriageway
roads
| Dual
carriageways
| Motorways |
| Cars | 30 mph
| 60 mph | 70 mph
| 70 mph |
| Goods Vehicles (<7.5 tonnes) | 30 mph
| 50 mph | 60 mph
| 70 mph* |
| Goods Vehicles (>7.5 tonnes) | 30 mph
| 40 mph | 50 mph
| 60 mph |
| * 60 mph if articulated or towing a trailer.
|
In addition, goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes are required
to be fitted with speed limiters which are set to permit maximum
speeds of 60 mph for vehicles between 7.5 and 12 tonnes, and 56
mph for vehicles over 12 tonnes.
The speed limits detailed above have been in force without
revision for many years now. However, vehicle technology has advanced
considerably in this same period. Anti-lock braking systems (ABS)
have been compulsory on new commercial vehicles since the early
1990s—as a result a large proportion of the current fleet
would be fitted with them. Despite this, on a single carriageway
road attracting a national speed limit of 60 mph, HGVs are required
to travel at or below 40 mph. Not only does this seem inappropriate
to many drivers (which inevitably means more people are tempted
to break the law) but we believe it may actually be causing more
accidents as other vehicles (whose drivers are not aware of the
limits for HGVs) take unnecessary risks in an attempt to overtake
what they consider to be excessively slow-moving vehicles.
As such, the RHA believes that the time has now come for
the Government to undertake a fundamental review of commercial
vehicle speed limits taking into account both the new technology
that is now available and current road conditions etc. In particular,
we would like to see the current limit of 40 mph for single carriageway
roads increased to 50 mph.
We are also concerned at the increasing tendency for highway
authorities to reduce speed limits on main roads seemingly without
any real justification. A prime example is the A556 between the
M6 and M56. This particular road is a dual carriageway at the
beginning and end and in the middle it is a four lane (two in
each direction) A road signposted as 50 mph. This means that commercial
vehicles must comply with a 40 mph limit. Many drivers have been
found to be speeding on this section of the road as they keep
pace with the general traffic flow not realising that the road
is an A road rather than a dual carriageway. The RHA believes
stringent criteria must be applied when highway authorities seek
to make changes to speed limits. In addition, signing must be
clear for all road users to avoid drivers being caught as a result
of confusion rather than illegal activity. The key point is that
speed limits must be, and must be seen to be, appropriate to the
particular road conditions.
ENFORCEMENT
Efficient enforcement plays a key role. As well as increasing
compliance, it also helps to promote fairness—operators
who comply with speed limits may suffer a commercial disadvantage
compared with those breaking the limits. That said, we are concerned
that the increasing use of speed cameras is causing some problems.
Whilst penalising those found to be breaking the law is crucial,
in the case of speeding, we believe enforcement activity is far
more productive if it deters people from acting illegally in the
first place. Speed cameras can only be an effective deterrent
if they are clearly visible to drivers and are well signed.
We are pleased that the government accepts this position,
as indicated by its recent announcement. However, the RHA are
concerned that implementation of the new rules will be unduly
lengthy and that existing cameras will not be considered a high
priority. We believe that the policy must be implemented across
the board (existing cameras as well as new ones) as soon as possible.
ROAD USER
EDUCATION
The RHA believes that educating road users about the behaviour
and characteristics of other road users and vehicles can play
an important part in reducing accidents whether they are caused
by speed or by other factors. This is particularly important for
vulnerable users such as cyclists and pedestrians. The RHA has
worked with both the CTC (Cyclists Touring Club) and RoSPA to
produce educational leaflets aimed at educating both cyclists
and lorry drivers about each others' needs. The leaflets are disseminated
widely by organisations and copies are enclosed for the Committee's
information.
January 2002
| 
