Lorry breakdown crews may refuse to go out to smart motorways over safety fears
LORRY rescue crews are so fearful of attending vehicle breakdowns on smart motorways they are threatening not to respond to calls until police have cordoned off the area.
Firms that operate maintenance contracts for HGV fleets say the use of the hard shoulder as a live lane makes them too risky for their employees to carry out emergency repairs.
They fear they could even face charges of corporate manslaughter if a rescue crew operator is killed while attending a broken down vehicle.
The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI), which represents fleet maintenance firms, is to consider issuing instructions to its members to not attend lorries until traffic police patrols have fully cordoned off a significant stretch of the smart motorway where the vehicle has broken down. Members of the RMI’s truck division will meet this week to discuss the matter.
A senior industry figure, who owns one of the country’s largest fleet maintenance firms, told The Telegraph: “When a truck breaks down on a smart motorway it’s a very dangerous place to be working. Someone could so easily run into the back of you and if you are working under the truck or under the cab the consequences could be fatal.”
Industry concerns come after figures showed that 38 drivers had been killed on smart motorways in the last five years. The industry source said: “The Government has put our employ
‘Someone could so easily run into the back of you and if you are working under the truck it could be fatal’
ees in grave danger with smart motorways. We could be charged with corporate manslaughter and senior directors jailed if it’s found they knowingly sent a technician into such a dangerous working environment and they were killed.”
John Biggins, chairman of the National Franchised Dealers Association truck council, said: “This issue is going to be debated by the RMI. One option is we don’t go out to these jobs until the police have coned them off.”
A Highways England spokesman said: “Vehicle recovery operators are never expected to work in a live lane, and their safety – and the safety of all road users – is our top priority.
“The Department for Transport is considering a range of evidence during its stocktake. We expect the results to be published shortly and to provide the most up-to-date assessment of the safety of smart motorways.”