I’ve been nicked for not wearing my seatbelt in my truck.
I do multidrop in and around the Southampton area and I’ve been photoed by presumably a mobile camera van.
Thing is, there have been countless occasions when plod could have had a chat with me about this, passing me at junctions, sitting alongside me at the (countless) traffic lights, when they have been both on foot or in a patrol car but nary a word.
I wouldn’t be able to get a 100 metres in my car without being pulled but in the truck, no interest.
As all multi drivers will know belts can be a pain but mine literally is - it cuts into my neck especially lurching and bouncing around over the poor road surfaces. Does anybody else have this problem, I drive a Merc. As soon as I finish or am away from the built up area on it goes.
Anyway, the day after the TM showed me the letter from plod, the belt stayed on - obviously - but I did do a rough check of other truckers the next few days and there is an awful lot of fellas chancing it and if I have seen other drivers at drops I have warned them , too. Stupidly I didn’t think it was a high priority offence but the lesson has been learnt. I could understand it if I was on a dual or m-way but at 23 mph??
So, there you go, fellow shifters, Hampshire Constab may be watching you…
Cue for the self righteous to pop along and large it…well don’t bother, it’s not big and it’s not clever, this is just a heads up
I wear one now out of sheer habit, but on e of the DAFs I drove relatively recently didn’t even have them fitted. It was a W plate DAF 95, as I remember.
It’s the only thing that’s gonna keep your torso in the cab if your motor goes over from a blowout or u have a bump with Johnny Hotwheels cutting in after overtaking, silly not to wear it IMO.
The only reason i wear one is the parasites are scraping the barrel for revenue so anything they can nick you for will do, it looks good for the geezer running round in the unmarked tractor unit videoing too, headline figures for the Daily Wail to gob off about…seat belts i ask you…sleep safe children
‘‘The Law has dealt with those murderous lorry drivers’’ should be said in an american twang by that sherrif who talks through his teeth on the US road programs.
Interesting read. As someone mentioned above there are exemptions to wearing a seat belt. If your doing short distance between drops you don’t need to. I’m guessing you weren’t but how did they know when they snapped you?
Never bothered in past, but one off the lads got killed when wagon overturned couple of years ago so it goes on now without fail plus the warning bleeper annoys me
Pity the law enforcers of the country don’t spend more time tackling serious crime such as those carried out by the individual HM GOV chose to front the clunk click campaign.
DrivingMissDaisy:
Going through the windscreen at 23mph won’t be entirely painless when it happens…just a heads up!
I still feel we should be allowed to make our own choice.
+1 , I always wear one in truck or car but I think if they don’t want to wear it then it’s upto them , they know the circumstances , I’m sure there is more to it than meets the eye why it’s compulsory though
I would not dream of driving my car without one but until recently never wore one in a truck (merely bought colour coordinated T shirts), maybe I could excuse it by saying that they didn’t have them when I started, but that’s not really an excuse tbh.
Anyhoo I decided to get with the programme and have been wearing it for about a month now, I must say I find it extremely uncomfortable and awkward. I’m 6 foot 4 so I find it pulls down constantly on my right shoulder and as I drive an MAN it locks with little or no provocation, which makes trying to peer around the massive blind spots caused by the ridiculous mirrors a real pain. Hey ho, the law is the law I suppose.
I’ve mentioned before but when I was 18 I was in a car which went head on into a tree flipping in the air and rolling down an embankment, we had to kick the windscreen in to get out. My injuries totalled one very sore knee that hit the dash I honestly think my seat belt saved my life or saved me from a wheel chair atleast. They are uncomfortable especially in a truck when your seat bounces about and it locks and you almost bloody choke on it but I will never go anywhere without it. My boss doesn’t wear his and his brother got a fine a few years back, again from a “safety van” also In southampton. They choose not to wear one but its there life who’s to tell them what they shouldn’t do it’s up to them. Thanks for the heads up though I’m based in southampton so it’s nice to know if there out and about and targeting us more then usual.
As I originally posted, anywhere but stop start city traffic I wear the belt - I know full well the consequences that can arise from failure to do so. Anyone who know Southampton well will know that the marine and wharfage industries are quite close together, in fact sometimes as I’m closing my curtains I can see my next drop along the road, also there are a lot of trading estates in the centre of the city.
Yes, OK I’m abit miffed - my not wearing a seatbelt poses no danger whatsoever to other road users and in heavy traffic extremely unlikely to myself, my attention is fully focused on the job - unlike the teenage texters I see everyday
But the point I wanted to make was that it was a battenburg liveried VW transporter van that had the camera - the traffic cars and foot patrols showed no interest at all. But it won’t be just belts, of course, it’ll phones, polishing yer specs, eating an apple,scratching yer nuts, the list is endless.
So if you’re out and about Karl, remember they are too.
Vosa gave me a "talking to"for not wearing my seat belt,I said that I usually drive old motors that dont have a belt.I minded my manners whilst in the company of the all powerful and no more action was taken.
