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Truck driver alcohol and drug offences double
The
number of alcohol and drug offences among truck and coach drivers has
doubled since 2018, according to results from TISPOL's latest
enforcement operation.
From
19 to 24 February, a Europe-wide TISPOL enforcement operation focusing
on trucks and buses took place. The safety of commercial goods and
passenger transport was central to the operation, which involved
coordinated police controls in 29 participating countries.
According to the latest results from 20 countries, 103,515 trucks and 18,047 buses were checked.
More than 33,000 violations were found (trucks: 30,014, buses: 3,371)
There
were 2,092 occasions where a vehicle was prohibited from travelling any
further due to its dangerous condition (2,046 trucks and 46 buses).
On average, violations or faults were found in 29% of trucks and 18% of buses.
Volker Orben of TISPOL's Executive Committee said:
"European police officers have a very high standard of training in heavy
traffic controls, which is reflected in the high complaint rate.”
Most of the offences were found in the areas of driver regulations:
8,203
truck drivers and 208 bus drivers contravened drivers' hours
regulations, driving their vehicles for longer than legally allowed
without complying with mandatory breaks.
There were 3,413 instances where tachographs were not properly
managed.
Manipulations of digital tachographs were detected in 370 cases.
Also, 212 alcohol offences and 86 drug offences were detected among drivers.
This
is almost double the rate from controls 12 months ago, in February
2018, where there were 115 offences across Europe (80 alcohol and 35
drug-driving).
In 7,857 cases the technical condition as well as the load securing
was incorrect, and in 1801 cases it was so serious that a truck's onward journey had to be prohibited.
Although
the offences in the dangerous goods sector initially appear small in
percentage terms at less than 3%, there were still have been 703
offences (a rise of 240 - or 51% - on the same period of the previous
year).
Regarding
bus offences, the most common violations were
missing documents(58), the non-wearing of seatbelts (22), excessive
speed (18) and technical defects (8).
208 drivers also had exceeded the legally permitted driving times
Volker
Orben continued: "These results show that inspections in the area of
heavy goods traffic and passenger transport are still an important
approach to improve traffic safety.
"Especially
in the field of passenger transport, passengers must be able to rely
on the fact that the vehicles are in perfect technical condition and the
drivers are not fatigued."
The
next TISPOL operation will take place
from 1 to 7 April, with the focus on Speed. A key part of this will be
the European Speed Marathon, involving police officers in 26 countries
on 3 April.
Ireland: 17% rise in intoxicated drivers so far this year
The
first two months of 2019 have shown that 1,429 motorists have been
arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, an
increase of 17 per cent compared with the same period last year.
The figures were released as Gardaí and the Road Safety Authority issued their St Patrick's weekend appeal.
Gardaí
warned of a visible police presence across the country las weekend,
with a targeted focus on those driving under the influence of alcohol,
drugs or both.
The warning came as 34 people had already lost their lives on the country's roads this year.
Moyagh
Murdock of the Road Safety Authority and Ch Supt Aidan Reid
warned people at a press conference on Friday 15 March to plan ahead and
make sure they knew how they were getting home, whether by taxi or with
a designated driver or by public transport.
Netherlands: Bike helmets would save 85 cycling fatalities a year, says report
A
new report from the Dutch road safety research foundation predicts that
if cyclists in the Netherlands always wore a helmet, there would be 85
fewer road deaths a year,
The
research, which assumes that currently between none and 10% of cyclists
actually wear a helmet, is based on a global analysis from 2018. This
found that protective headgear reduces serious head injury by 60% and
cuts serious and fatal injuries by around one third.
Spain: tougher driving penalties approved after cycling death
Following
a campaign launched by the widow of a cyclist who was killed in a hit
and run in 2015, the Spanish government has approved tougher penalties,
and a significant change in the law for serious traffic offences.
Anna
González, lost her husband Óscar in 2015 when he was hit by a truck
whilst cycling. The driver of the truck fled the scene but was
identified by the remains of the vehicle that were left behind. He was
subsequently arrested...
Poland: Maltese teenager who ran over Polish cyclist imprisoned in Poland for four years
A
Maltese under-age driver without a driving licence who ran over and
killed a cyclist in Poland has been sentenced to four years in prison
and given a lifetime ban.
The
18-year-old Maltese was sentenced to four years in prison for the fatal
hit and run of a cyclist. The court found that the boy was driving
without a driving licence and under the influence of marijuana.
He was also given a lifetime driving ban.
Portugal: Algarve region sees biggest increase in road deaths
According
to the National Authority for Road Safety, the number of collisions
rose to just over 20,000 since the beginning of the
year. Severe injuries also rose in January and February, with 283
suffering serious injuries, 36 more than the same period of 2018.
These latest figures once again confirm the trend that has seen fatalities increase on Portuguese roads in the past three years.
The Algarve is where road deaths have risen the most, climbing by almost 30 per cent in the year ending on 28 February.
Dates for your diary:
1-7 April: TISPOL speed enforcement operation.
3 April: European Speed Marathon, involving police officers in 26 countries
3 April: European Speed Marathon, involving police officers in 26 countries
9 - 11 April: TISPOL meetings and Project EDWARD launch, Prague
16 April: #Dontstreamanddrive day
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