double penalty points for truck drivers????

chiefwiggum

is it about time that truck drivers started copping on to the rules of the road....im sick and tired of meeting everysecond truck with its driver on the fu**ing phone.do they realise the damage they are going to do when not if they have an accident...why isnt it law to have hands free kits in trucks? or do the trucks have ones for their business phones and the drivers are using their personal phones.would doubling the penalty points for truck offences be a deterrant?and yes before anyone says it i would give more points too for car drivers doing the same but just the sheer size of the trucks is a major pile up on a road just waiting to happen

Bandara

I find truck drivers quite often are the best and most courteous drivers on the road.

Each to their own though

chiefwiggum

i would agree alright but why do most NOT ALL turn a blind eye to this as if its ok? i think that they seem to think that because they are highly trained drivers that they can handle a 40 ft artic and a phone at the same time

antodeco

In fairness, that fact that it is 1 penalty point for trucks to be driving in the overtaking lane, and is never enforced, should be first port of call.

chiefwiggum

agreed..arent they supposed to be limited to 90 kph?

AugustusMaximus

antodeco wrote: »

In fairness, that fact that it is 1 penalty point for trucks to be driving in the overtaking lane, and is never enforced, should be first port of call.

The the limit is that they can't go into the overtaking lane on a 2 lane motorway. No limit on them doing so on a dual carriageway.

I don't mind them doing so, with 2 previsos

1. Traffic aint too heavy.
2. The overtake doesn't take 5 minutes.

Followed an idiot one time who couldn't have been doing more than 1 mph more than the other truck he was overtaking. The queue of traffic behind me was unreal.

chiefwiggum

happens me alot too where they are side by side for about two mile but on the flip side we never complain when they move into the hard shoulder to let us pass on single carriage roads so there is a point back for them i suppose

bazzachazza

How about getting on there backs a bit more about being overweight, bald tyres and other issues the UK police are. I have previously mentioned on here about them being on the phone.

"We pass through this weighbridge all the time and the delays aren't that big and they are fair enough. If you cheat, you are going to get caught." However Vosa says enforcement activities at Dalar Hir found a very high drivers' hours offence rate of 30.4% and a trailer roadworthiness prohibition rate of 60.8% in the past six months - figures that are of "significant concern".

http://www.roadtransport.com/Articles/2008/11/25/132318/rigorous-enforcement-at-holyhead-causes-delays.html

61% of trucks passing through Holyhead have something wrong with them!!!!!!!!

I know not all are Irish trucks but a vast majority must be.

AugustusMaximus

bazzachazza wrote: »

How about getting on there backs a bit more about being overweight, bald tyres and other issues the UK police are. I have previously mentioned on here about them being on the phone.



http://www.roadtransport.com/Articles/2008/11/25/132318/rigorous-enforcement-at-holyhead-causes-delays.html

61% of trucks passing through Holyhead have something wrong with them!!!!!!!!

I know not all are Irish trucks but a vast majority must be.

Again, issues of bald tyres and being overweight are something the RSA and the Gardai should be dealing with.

Sadly the RSA care more about sexist safety campaigns and the Gardai shooting fish in a barrell on motorways.

cashmni1

AugustusMaximus wrote: »

Again, issues of bald tyres and being overweight are something the RSA and the Gardai should be dealing with.

Sadly the RSA care more about sexist safety campaigns and the Gardai shooting fish in a barrell on motorways.

+1
RSA are ultimately responsible.
For allocating the the guards and resources to implement the fines....I dunno...
The commissioner maybe?
I agree with the OP when I see a truck driver on the phone, it is very irresponsible imo.
However doubling the points is not the answer.

Implement the fines and penalties for breaking the current laws.
As a poster already said, 60% of trucks have something wrong with them. Why? Because they know that the laws are relaxed in this country and they will more than likely get away with it.
It's up to the RSA how they want to deal with it. But then again, I wouldn't hold my breath. They are just an excuse of an organization that just seems to take ideas from other countries and not implement them correctly. As far as I see it, the RSA is just another bloated, top heavy, over regulated, underperforming government spending pothole.

unwyse

nordie truck drivers worst of them all:mad::mad::mad:,its like "lets kill a few freestaters today boys".nut jobs the lot of them.

tallaghtoutlaws

chiefwiggum wrote: »

is it about time that truck drivers started copping on to the rules of the road....im sick and tired of meeting everysecond truck with its driver on the fu**ing phone.do they realise the damage they are going to do when not if they have an accident...why isnt it law to have hands free kits in trucks? or do the trucks have ones for their business phones and the drivers are using their personal phones.would doubling the penalty points for truck offences be a deterrant?and yes before anyone says it i would give more points too for car drivers doing the same but just the sheer size of the trucks is a major pile up on a road just waiting to happen

It swings both ways. As a former truck driver the amount of times in recent years I have been cut of by a muppett on his phone in his car. Or noticed people in cars on phones. Yes there are truck drivers do it but if someone worked the average by ratio i think you would find there are the same ratio of truck drivers doing it as car drivers.

dungeon

A very expensive lesson for a truck driver if his/her livelihood depends on his/her licence.

Gary ITR

bazzachazza wrote: »

How about getting on there backs a bit more about being overweight, bald

Not a whole lot they can do about that, it's hard to eat properly when you spend so much time on the road. A receding hairline is genetic

Martron

i work on the m50 and live near another certain english supermarket chain distribution centre and i come across their trucks on a daily basis. and i have to say is they are pure dangerous drivers. quite possibly its because the volume of the trucks on the road that i notice them more but one example was that i was working nights. we had closed one lane. the truck proceeded to speed down the one lane clipping cones . ( the lane was perfectly wide for the truck ) but i think he was going to fast to adjust his direction. anyway i nearly ended up getting hit by a cone he clipped.

+1 on the overtaking on a motorway. same with coaches. boils my blood.

slimjimmc

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

It swings both ways. As a former truck driver the amount of times in recent years I have been cut of by a muppett on his phone in his car. Or noticed people in cars on phones. Yes there are truck drivers do it but if someone worked the average by ratio i think you would find there are the same ratio of truck drivers doing it as car drivers.

True there are muppets everywhere and life on the road can be lonely, but the consequences of a muppet crashing his car while distracted on the phone are generally far less than muppet crashing his truck while distracted on the phone. Trucks have greater killing power.

Martron

well i am no truck driver but would you not need more concentration to keep a truck on the road? using mobile phone can not help that.

although there speed is limited there stopping distance is too. and the pure momentum a truck has entering a crash far outweighs that of a car.

i think we can agree if cars are enforced to not use mobile without handsfree because it can cause accidents trucks should too.

tallaghtoutlaws

slimjimmc wrote: »

True there are muppets everywhere and life on the road can be lonely, but the consequences of a muppet crashing his car while distracted on the phone are generally far less than muppet crashing his truck while distracted on the phone. Trucks have greater killing power.

Wait so you are saying someone driving a truck on their phone is more likely to crash his/her truck more than someone in a car? I would say that is bullsh1t. I would say they have the same chance in fairness. They both use the same concentration levels while on the phone, whether truck or car. Both vehicles can kill when levels of concentration are lost.

slimjimmc

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

Wait so you are saying someone driving a truck on their phone is more likely to crash his/her truck more than someone in a car? I would say that is bullsh1t. I would say they have the same chance in fairness. They both use the same concentration levels while on the phone, whether truck or car. Both vehicles can kill when levels of concentration are lost.

Yes that I would say thats bullsh1t too but read my post again please, I said consequences, I never mentioned likelyhood. If you were in a car stuck at the end of a traffic jam and saw a vehicle coming fast in the mirror with the driver yapping on the phone which would you prefer, a car or a truck?

tallaghtoutlaws

slimjimmc wrote: »

Yes that I would say thats bullsh1t too but read my post again please, I said consequences, I never mentioned likelyhood. If you were in a car stuck at the end of a traffic jam and saw a vehicle coming fast in the mirror with the driver yapping on the phone which would you prefer, a car or a truck?

Neither as both are breaking the law regardless of the consquences and aftermath of the crash. If you are going to give truck drivers double points for it why not cars also as it should deter a higher percentage if the Gardai can enforce it better.

leitrim lad

i agree there is a minority of idiots driving lorries on our roads, both irish and non national,

but dont tar us all with the one brush, its not fair,

however i expect all of your wildest dreams will come true about ,clamping down on lorries ,with noel dempseys anti lorryist laws,

i suppose it stops criminals taking up the trade ,but sher they will only go back to doing what they know best, being criminals

slimjimmc

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

If you are going to give truck drivers double points for it why not cars also as it should deter a higher percentage if the Gardai can enforce it better.

Agreed.

slimjimmc

leitrim lad wrote: »

i agree there is a minority of idiots driving lorries on our roads, both irish and non national,

but dont tar us all with the one brush, its not fair,

however i expect all of your wildest dreams will come true about ,clamping down on lorries ,with noel dempseys anti lorryist laws,

i suppose it stops criminals taking up the trade ,but sher they will only go back to doing what they know best, being criminals

I don't think anyone's tarring all truckies, or any other road user group, just the individuals who choose to ignore our road safety laws.

chiefwiggum

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

Wait so you are saying someone driving a truck on their phone is more likely to crash his/her truck more than someone in a car? I would say that is bullsh1t. I would say they have the same chance in fairness. They both use the same concentration levels while on the phone, whether truck or car. Both vehicles can kill when levels of concentration are lost.

no way pal...cars dont jackknife or lean like trucks do the handling cant be compared ....small mistake in truck big accident

pablosd

every single truck driver i was stuck behind always pulled over to the margin when it was possible to do so to allow me overtake him,
well done lads, keep it up, bit of courtesy is no harm

Wishbone Ash

antodeco wrote: »

In fairness, that fact that it is 1 penalty point for trucks to be driving in the overtaking lane, and is never enforced, should be first port of call.

AugustusMaximus wrote: »

they can't go into the overtaking lane on a 2 lane motorway

Just to clarify lads, it only applies where the motorway speed limit is 100kph or 120kph.

A truck may legally use the overtaking lane on 80kph and 60kph stretches of motorway.

Damien360

pablosd wrote: »

every single truck driver i was stuck behind always pulled over to the margin when it was possible to do so to allow me overtake him,
well done lads, keep it up, bit of courtesy is no harm

For me it is almost every truck driver. Generally all but the Nordies pull over half a truck width and leave room to get a clear line of sight. I would never expect any truck to pull over into a hardshoulder that I would'nt put my own car in to. Always flash by hazards to thank them after.

I try always to return the favour by allowing them out at junctions. I never fail to get thanked. They are always courteous regardless of country of origin.

Back to the OP. As bad as a trucker is on the phone, there are many more clowns (mainly women) on phones in cars. That is not sexist but the truth. Truck has to avoid these also and guess who gets the blame for the accident. Double points for everyone on mobiles will be the only solution, but only if it is more forcibly enforced. Handsfree kits are sold for half nothing at the moment. Even a decent one fitted will not cost you 200. Over 3 years life of ownership of car (with recession add a few years) it is cheap as chips for handsfree kit.

For any guards reading this, you need to be included in this also. Far too many on phones while driving. It shows a bad example and lessens your ability to take the moral high ground when stopping someone for the offense.

Del2005

There's no harm in doubling points for drivers on the phone as it's never enforced now, what makes anyone think it'll be enforced when the points are double.

And whenever the private speed cameras are rolled out we'll be told we have the safest roads in the country as the "Speeders" will be fined, but the muppets who can't drive safely will still be let out and since the cameras have made the roads safer the Gardai will reassigned from traffic so the place will get worst.