Stricter enforcement for HGV drivers urged

COMMERCIAL VEHICLE drivers should be subject to specialised drink driving enforcement as they are more likely to be involved in a collision that results in a death – based on kilometres travelled – than other motorists.

The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) in a report, Drink Driving in Commercial Transport, said that even though commercial drivers were less likely to drink and drive than private motorists, the size and weight of lorries, trucks and buses meant crashes involving such vehicles were more likely to result in a fatality.

Along with stricter enforcement, the ETSC has also called for alcohol ignition locks to be installed in the vehicles of first-time drink driving offenders found significantly over the limit.

The ETSC cited research collated by the European Traffic Police Network (Tispol) which gathered data on the prevalence of drink driving from national police forces, including An Garda Síochána, in June last year.

It found the percentage of all driving journeys associated with alcohol – including commercial and private vehicles – ranged from 0.2 per cent in Norway to 8 per cent in Cyprus.

In Ireland it was over 3 per cent. According to the ESTC, “while the prevalence of drink driving among commercial drivers is lower than for drivers of private cars, it can be expected that they follow a similar pattern when it comes to differences between countries”.

The ETSC used the example of the UK where research shows that for every 200 million miles travelled by HGVs they are involved in three fatal crashes, while buses and coaches are involved in four. The equivalent figure for cars is less than two.

According to the Road Collision Facts 2008, published by the RSA, 82 commercial and public service vehicles were involved in a fatal crash that year, compared to 234 cars. That year, 279 people were killed on the roads.

As far back as 2001, the European Union recommended the allowable blood alcohol limit for commercial drivers be reduced at 20mg.

While states are free to set their own limits, the EU said a 50mg limit should be the highest allowable.

Ireland, the UK and Malta are the only states in the EU 27 to still have an 80mg limit.

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey decided to reduce the alcohol levels for drivers last year and also to introduce a 20mg/mls limit for professional drivers.

The legislation providing for these changes, the Road Traffic Bill 2009, is due to come before the Dáil this term.

Among the other recommendations in the ETSC report is that testing for drink driving form part of every police checkpoint for driver behaviour and that all collisions dealt with by police lead to a mandatory alcohol test for the drivers.

This recommendation is subtly different to the approach being taken by the Department of Transport.

The Road Traffic Bill 2009 provides for mandatory testing at crashes where someone is injured.

Road safety agencies including Public Against Road Carnage (Parc) have called instead for mandatory testing of all drivers at crash sites.