S&J Transport closing due to Cyclist Death

A warning for those that have truck tables

From BBC website bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-b … m-54029112

A transport company has been ordered to close following a public inquiry held after the death of a cyclist.

Dr Suzanna Bull was struck by a lorry in Birmingham in October 2017, suffering “catastrophic” injuries.

Following a Traffic Commissioner inquiry, S & J Transport, which employed the driver who killed her, will have its operator’s licence revoked on 1 October.

West Midlands Police said the decision “further holds the company to account”.

Dr Bull, 32, who had been working at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and was from Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire, was out cycling with her brother when she was struck on 9 October.

Robert Bradbury was jailed for 21 months in December for causing Dr Bull’s death, at the junction of Edgbaston Road and Pershore Road.

His trial heard he had a tray table on his dashboard and the clutter had obstructed his view.

S&J Transport, which admitted an offence under health and safety law, was fined £112,500 and ordered to pay £3,000 in costs.

After the sentencing, a public inquiry was opened by the Office of the Traffic Commissioner, which is responsible for the licensing and regulation of operators of heavy goods vehicles.

The inquiry heard that the company was not aware of the dashboard table.

But following a submission by PC Mark Crozier that this contradicted evidence given during the trial, the company “accepted it had misled” the commissioner and had been aware Bradbury was driving with the table in place.

Mr Crozier, said: "Truthfully, I am pleased with the outcome following this public inquiry as it further holds the company to account for the tragic loss of an innocent life.

“I believe it could have been avoided if the driver didn’t have a dashboard filled with clutter on top of a table and I’m glad that Suzie’s family know we have done all we can to get justice for her death.”

Its a sad story but so outreaching to lots of drivers, including me. I always had a dashboard table and they were never marked as only for stationary use. Mine came with Velcro to stop it sliding around. S&J ran a tidy fleet but in one of their publicity shots, a table can be seen with a Scania decal on it.

Maybe the legislators and designers need to look at the ever growing amount of mirrors which can block a drivers view whilst restrained with a seat belt.

Wheel Nut:
Its a sad story but so outreaching to lots of drivers, including me. I always had a dashboard table and they were never marked as only for stationary use. Mine came with Velcro to stop it sliding around. S&J ran a tidy fleet but in one of their publicity shots, a table can be seen with a Scania decal on it.

Maybe the legislators and designers need to look at the ever growing amount of mirrors which can block a drivers view whilst restrained with a seat belt.

If lots of drivers have their vision obstructed by tables full of clutter, then lots of drivers should change their ways.
“His trial heard he had a tray table on his dashboard and the clutter had obstructed his view.” (from the link)
The table is an obstruction to sight lines, but the stuff on them is more so.
Mercedes and now DAF are already changing mirrors for cameras, aren`t they?

Franglais:
If lots of drivers have their vision obstructed by tables full of clutter, then lots of drivers should change their ways.

The kitchen worktop or draining board maybe.

But a bleedin table on a truck dash board WTF.
I can only ever remember moving a few discarded newspapers, or bits of rag left on the dash by others, to keep vision clear and stop reflections.Sometimes even bent back a few O licence/tax holder brackets moving them out of the line of view.

Maybe the legislators and designers need to look at the ever growing amount of mirrors which can block a drivers view whilst restrained with a seat belt.

How strange! I thought the whole purpose of inertia seatbelts were to let the driver move his body or head around to check mirrors etc.
It’s amazing the excuses some drivers come up with being too lazy to check properly.

the company “accepted it had misled” the commissioner and had been aware Bradbury was driving with the table in place. BS’ing the TC? Naive to say the very least. Usually people get external advice for an impending PI, or did they think they could wing it?

I’m only surprised that the TM or Owner weren’t jailed for for their complicity in this fatality: it was documented long ago that they knew the truck would fail it’s MOT with the table in place, and that they removed it for the MOT then gave it back to the driver.

The subject of dashboard tables came up a few years ago and the consensus was they where a bad idea, but the diehards came up with a clear Perspex version arguing that they they could see through them, so therefore not illegal.

I wouldnt be surprised if S&J Phoenixd and reappeared with a different director and CPC holder

This was the view from his windscreen, a fair amount of trampers are like that.

Those with curtains are even worse. I was going round the roundabout for Ferrybridge Services a few months ago and waiting to join was a tang with his curtains covering his windows so much he had to get off his seat and lean over his steering wheel to see out of the small gap left at the front of the driver’s side window. He literally left a bit just large enough to not cover his mirrors.

Conor:
This was the view from his windscreen, a fair amount of trampers are like that.

Those with curtains are even worse. I was going round the roundabout for Ferrybridge Services a few months ago and waiting to join was a tang with his curtains covering his windows so much he had to get off his seat and lean over his steering wheel to see out of the small gap left at the front of the driver’s side window. He literally left a bit just large enough to not cover his mirrors.

I think when it’s like that it’s just someone who’s a bit thick and doesn’t see the danger.

This stuff ought to just be the preserve of owner drivers because any operator who’s not having drivers tear out the tasselled curtains and dash tables, as a result of this, needs their head read.

Having said that manufacturers ought to design dashboards better with a large flat surface for trampers.

Conor:
This was the view from his windscreen, a fair amount of trampers are like that.

Those with curtains are even worse. I was going round the roundabout for Ferrybridge Services a few months ago and waiting to join was a tang with his curtains covering his windows so much he had to get off his seat and lean over his steering wheel to see out of the small gap left at the front of the driver’s side window. He literally left a bit just large enough to not cover his mirrors.

Have to agree with that…never understood why the scanny fanny’s drive around with there curtains half shut, it must be a pain in the arse when you come to a roundabout or junction just trying to see.

Own Account Driver:

Conor:
This was the view from his windscreen, a fair amount of trampers are like that.

Those with curtains are even worse. I was going round the roundabout for Ferrybridge Services a few months ago and waiting to join was a tang with his curtains covering his windows so much he had to get off his seat and lean over his steering wheel to see out of the small gap left at the front of the driver’s side window. He literally left a bit just large enough to not cover his mirrors.

I think when it’s like that it’s just someone who’s a bit thick and doesn’t see the danger.

This stuff ought to just be the preserve of owner drivers because any operator who’s not having drivers

tear out the tasselled curtains and dash tables, as a result of this, needs their head read.

Having said that manufacturers ought to design dashboards better with a large flat surface for trampers.

Only for them to put more tat on it

Zac_A:
the company “accepted it had misled” the commissioner and had been aware Bradbury was driving with the table in place. BS’ing the TC? Naive to say the very least. Usually people get external advice for an impending PI, or did they think they could wing it?

I’m only surprised that the TM or Owner weren’t jailed for for their complicity in this fatality: it was documented long ago that they knew the truck would fail it’s MOT with the table in place, and that they removed it for the MOT then gave it back to the driver.

I read there was cctv evidence of the above .

JEEZUS!!!..

What a shocking waste of an innocent life.

All because super muppet wants to put his toys on the dashboard. Words ■■■■■■■ fail me.

I’m also surprised that management haven’t gone to jail over this.

Photos like that do our ‘professional’ reputation irreparable damage.

I feel ashamed to hold a class 1 licence right now.

Fer crissakes someone get these tossers off the road!

The Daf 95s used to have a table that slid out of the dash which was handy.
Obviously only to be used, when the vehicle was stationary but it did the job

I read several reports on this, not just the BBC’s…As sad as it is for someone to lose their life, once again it appears that both she and her brother roads up on the inside of the wagon at a set of lights, whether he had his indicator on to indicate the left turn prior to them riding up to the lights, the report doesn’t say…it appears that the majority of theses fatalities are nearly always due to cyclists doing the same…
Maybe it’s about time the law was changed, it should be made illegal to ride up along side a heavy goods vehicle especially at lights where there is a left turn.
As both a driver and a cyclist I’d never do it…self preservation being my priorty

Fergie47:
I read several reports on this, not just the BBC’s…As sad as it is for someone to lose their life, once again it appears that both she and her brother roads up on the inside of the wagon at a set of lights, whether he had his indicator on to indicate the left turn prior to them riding up to the lights, the report doesn’t say…it appears that the majority of theses fatalities are nearly always due to cyclists doing the same…
Maybe it’s about time the law was changed, it should be made illegal to ride up along side a heavy goods vehicle especially at lights where there is a left turn.
As both a driver and a cyclist I’d never do it…self preservation being my priorty

bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-49817284
“…the haulier had overtaken Dr Bull, who was out cycling with her brother, around 30 seconds before the crash on 9 October.
Mr Duck told the court a tray table, sat-nav, fan, ornaments and other items had been placed on the centre of the 32-tonne truck’s dashboard.
Dr Bull, who worked at the city’s Children’s Hospital, had been in a designated cycle lane and was up to three-and-a-half metres in front of the lorry before it struck her, he said…”

Yes, she would have passed the truck after it had overtaken her, and the truck then stopped at lights.
But in a separate cycle lane, not squeezing down the side.
I too am a cyclist and a truck driver, and am also very wary of the idiots we all know exist, but would I hang back with an empty cycle lane in front of me?
Doubtful, we all trust that other drivers are at least halfways sentient, or we would never leave our bedrooms.
.
“The majority of these fatalities”… are because the truck driver doesn`t see the cyclist.

I agree that cyclists should be aware of shortcomings of other road users, and be prepared to take defensive actions, but they should be confident that all road users, especially professionals, are up to some basic level of care, which this one clearly wasn`t.

but would I hang back with an empty cycle lane in front of me?
Doubtful, we all trust that other drivers are at least halfways sentient,

So you would still go up the inside of a truck who was indicating to turn left■■?

Not defending the driver of the truck, he had far too much junk on the table, but there is no way i would have gone up his inside

Fergie47:
I read several reports on this, not just the BBC’s…As sad as it is for someone to lose their life, once again it appears that both she and her brother roads up on the inside of the wagon at a set of lights, whether he had his indicator on to indicate the left turn prior to them riding up to the lights, the report doesn’t say…it appears that the majority of theses fatalities are nearly always due to cyclists doing the same…
Maybe it’s about time the law was changed, it should be made illegal to ride up along side a heavy goods vehicle especially at lights where there is a left turn.
As both a driver and a cyclist I’d never do it…self preservation being my priorty

Maybe you missed the bit about the cyclist riding in a dedicated cycle lane and (quite correctly) using it to proceed past stationary traffic to make use of the area bounded by the “Advanced Stop Line” (the lorry was not the lead vehicle in the queue). Also the bit about her being at least three bike lengths ahead of the lorry before it started to catch up with her?

Nothing to do with the cyclist doing anything wrong (she was even wearing bright pink clothing) and everything to do with the idiot behind the wheel filling his windscreen with tat, making it difficult for him to see the cyclist.

Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk

Suedehead:
The Daf 95s used to have a table that slid out of the dash which was handy.
Obviously only to be used, when the vehicle was stationary but it did the job

They still do

elsa Lad:

Conor:
This was the view from his windscreen, a fair amount of trampers are like that.

Those with curtains are even worse. I was going round the roundabout for Ferrybridge Services a few months ago and waiting to join was a tang with his curtains covering his windows so much he had to get off his seat and lean over his steering wheel to see out of the small gap left at the front of the driver’s side window. He literally left a bit just large enough to not cover his mirrors.

Have to agree with that…never understood why the scanny fanny’s drive around with there curtains half shut, it must be a pain in the arse when you come to a roundabout or junction just trying to see.

So they can be on the blower unseen, or after they’ve cut you up they can’t see you giving them the bird