Posts Tagged driver training

Drivers’ hours: changes to fines for commercial drivers

Drivers’ hours: changes to fines for commercial drivers

Changes are coming regarding the fining of commercial drivers and the powers of DVSA Traffic Examiners

Rules to be changed so that drivers can be fined for the last 28 days worth of offences where they drive tired

According to the Government’s Vehicle Operators Licence pages, the law is soon to change with regard to the fining of Commercial Drivers. Rules will soon be changed so that lorry, bus and coach drivers can be fined for every time they are caught driving tired within the last 28 days.
Currently, the DVSA can only fine drivers for offences they commit on the day or ongoing offences such as tachograph record manipulation.

DVSA traffic examiners to get new powers to issue on-the-spot fines for up to 5 Driver Hours offences

If you are a professional driver and commit offences regarding your driving hours then you can be fined for offences within the last 28 days for up to 5 offences with on the spot fines by DVSA Traffic Officers.

It’s not just the United Kingdom. This includes elsewhere.

If the driver is not from the UK then they will have to pay immediately or risk the vehicle being immobilised until they do.

When is this change going to happen?

We currently don’t know an exact date for these changes but will let you know when we do. The GOV.UK website will also be updated. Click here for the link to the information we have currently.

Why is this change coming in to force?

Lorry, bus and coach drivers must take a 45-hour rest break at least every fortnight.

From 1 November 2017, DVSA will start to fine drivers up to £300 if they spend their full weekly rest break in their vehicle in places where it causes a problem. For example, if a lorry driver spends their full break in the cab of their lorry in a layby.

The DVSA will fine drivers who simply do not get enough rest. Drivers who have insufficient rest cause collisions as they can make mistakes. Driving tired is never acceptable.

The consequences of driving when tired

Crashes involving tired lorry drivers can be devastating. Almost a quarter of injuries in accidents involving lorries are fatal or serious.

About 40% of sleep-related accidents involve commercial vehicles.

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), driving while tired may be responsible for:

  • 1 in 5 of all accidents
  • up to a quarter of serious and fatal crashes

Share the GOV.UK page of information on Facebook

Posted in: Drivers Hours, DVSA, GOV.UK, Traffic Officers

Leave a Comment (0) →