Say yes to cheaper van, home and car insurance

Foreign lorries driving on UK roads could be pushing up the price of car insurance by failing to adhere to safety rules.

A massive crackdown is being launched on trucks which come over from abroad to ensure they are acting lawfully after government inspectors found they were three times more likely to be breaking safety laws.

Random checks will be carried out at channel ports and on motorways as inspectors attempt to curb the trend of having dangerous lorries on our roads.

Recent years have seen a distinct growth in the number of continental drivers travelling to the UK on a daily basis and research shows that last year a quarter of them were driving while tired.

The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) carried out checks, which showed a large number of foreign drivers had exceeded the number of hours allowed between breaks, leaving them fatigued and more likely to be involved in an accident.

In addition, it was found that over two fifths (43 per cent) of lorry drivers from abroad were driving vehicles that had mechanical problems with their trailers.

More checks are to be carried out on foreign lorries and efforts are being stepped up to remove dangerous vehicles and drivers from the UK's roads.

Dell Evans, the VOSA manager leading the campaign against dangerous foreign trucks told the Transport News Network that the problems lie with European inspections.

"The problem is that a large number of European countries carry out few, if any, roadside mechanical inspections," he said.

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