Readers letters
In response to the article ‘Take your eyes off the road’, (August 2011), supposedly making motorway driving safer.
The idea of the road train is very good, until an accident occurs. Image trundling up, or down, the motorway at sixty miles per hour when the, quote “professional” unquote, driver has a sudden heart attack, or suffers a devastating aneurysm, deep seated within the brain. Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue on the motorway? There is enough tragedy in the world without willingly adding to it.
Technology is excellent, until it goes wrong. It only needs one sensor, on any of the vehicles in the “road train” to be faulty to create a massive crash that could equal an air disaster. In such a case, the “professional” driver in the lead vehicle would be used as a scapegoat simply because the law deems that person to be “professional”. Even without the road train, any traffic incident involving a commercial heavy goods vehicle and a private vehicle, in most cases it is the driver of the heavy commercial vehicle that is held responsible, simply because that person is deemed to be a “professional”. How many years of experience does it take to become a “professional”? A young person at the age of twenty-one can pass the heavy goods vehicle test to become a professional driver of articulated vehicles. Who is the professional, the young inexperienced driver of twenty-one, or the driver with at least ten years experience of driving such vehicles?
A few years ago, when I was a “professional” heavy goods driver, I read a magazine from the Road Haulage Association, in which a particular article was about such as these road trains but with a difference. These road trains comprised of a tractor unit with two trailers, approaching a length of thirty meters, possibly more, for motorway work, somewhat similar to those used in the Australian outback but not as long. Of course the politicians denied access for these vehicles on the grounds that they were too big, too dangerous and would require very large ramps for entry and exit to the motorway because of the enormous turning circle. However, these vehicles would still be driven by a profession driver in the same way that the envisaged road train of cars would, with the same responsibilities to determine the speed of travel and make all the other decision as made by a professional driver.
Finally, the road trains, as described, would restrict the freedom of passage for any motorist, the speed of travel being determined by the driver in the lead vehicle. If any one wants to read the newspaper, a book, or send email, whilst travelling to work, take the train, a bus, or a taxi.
George Dewsnap
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