news.stv.tv/east-central/296470-david-stanley-abandoned-van-in-high-winds-on-forth-road-bridge/
IIRC I posted this video that was available at the time - driver got banned for a year as a result?
On one hand it was probably more dangerous than some cases of drunk driving, but really not sure that a year's ban is appropriate. Would have been better to be able to apply a ban in driving any vehicles other than cars but the current licence classifications probably doesn't allow that.
|
Pretty sure you can get a Luton bodied Transit under 3.5 tonnes so restricting a licence to group B (cars and sub 3.5 tonne) would not work.
Punishment seems overly harsh, a month ban would do, a year probably loses him his job.
|
|
Claiming he did not see the warning signs is a non starter, the bridge restrictions are on the overhead gantries for at least 30 miles on all approaches. I can understand a stranger to the area inadvertantly going beyond the point of no return on the northern approach but with the weather and signs he should have had more sense. In that situation I would have dumped it in the bus lane immediately before the bridge.
|
He is/was an unthinking tit.
There are plenty of them out there.
|
|
He was a chancer, he thought he would get away with it. He didn't. All his words are post event bluster.
|
There was two of them and neither saw any signs?
Deserves 12 months off to think about his actions.
Pat
|
|
Surely a "Driving in windy conditions" awareness course would be more appropriate?
|
There are no houses directly under the bridge but the van could easily have been blown onto houses downwind of where he stopped, which was only just on the bridge. A fire engine was parked alongside the van to shield it from the wind and then they were reversed off the bridge together.
www.forthroadbridge.org/light/index.html
This link shows the restrictions and when they are applied.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Tue 21 Oct 14 at 08:26
|
>>Would have been better to be able to apply a ban in driving any vehicles other than cars <<
If the guys an idiot driving HGV's what makes you think he'd be any less of an idiot driving a car?
Pat
|
In bad conditions driving Pat is the lorry driver allowed to stop if he feels it isn't safe?
And if he does stop somewhere will it jeopardise his job.Just wondering how the system works or does it depends on individulal companies with different rules.Questions questions.>:)
|
>> In bad conditions driving Pat is the lorry driver allowed to stop if he feels
>> it isn't safe?
>>
>> And if he does stop somewhere will it jeopardise his job.Just wondering how the system
>> works or does it depends on individulal companies with different rules.Questions questions.>:)
>>
There is no law as such. This subject is frequently discussed on lorry driver forums, and the general consensus is that if you feel unsafe then you are entitled to pull over, and you should not feel pressurised by your management to proceed if, in your opinion, it is unsafe to do so.
I am personally of the opinion that more "blow-overs" are caused by drivers wanting to get to their destination before their hours are up, rather than pressure on the part of management to deliver on time. You can probably imagine though that a lorry cab is not the nicest place to sleep if it's blowing a hooley so the temptation to get home to one's own bed is a strong one.
|
Thanks Harleyman of course in the real world you want to get home or to your destination.
|
I think it's peer pressure in most cases where a blow over happens.
Not from the TM or customer but from *some* older drivers who always have to brag that they've never had to park up yet. Hence newer drivers feeling they should be able to carry on in all weathers.
Of course, those older drivers never admit to being scared, or parking up........
When you add a driver has to have the balls to say 'It may not be blowing a gale behind your desk, but it is here and I shall do what I feel is safest' and put the phone down, you can see it isn't an easy decision to make.
Pat
|
Its a bit blowy out there - Slidingpillar
