"It is reassuring that the number of commercial vehicles
involved in road accidents is decreasing and that VOSA is removing
more dangerous drivers and vehicles from the road, but my report
raises a number of issues which will concern those who use
Britain’s roads.
“VOSA needs to focus its resources on those activities
and areas where it can have most impact: for example, by looking at
where its staff and stopping sites are located around the country.
It needs to help to educate commercial drivers and properly
identify those vehicles which pose the greatest danger. It also
needs to work with other organizations, at home and abroad, to
ensure that drivers and vehicles from outside the UK are as safe as
those from within the UK."
Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, 8 January
2010
The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) has increased
the number of dangerous commercial vehicles that it removes from
the roads from 28,900 in 2007-08 to 36,500 in 2008-09, but the
Agency could make better use of its resources and the effectiveness
of its roadside checks is constrained according to a National Audit
Office report released today.
The Agency is meeting its annual targets to remove dangerous
commercial vehicles and drivers from the road, but performance
against targets varies widely between regions. VOSA relies heavily
on roadside checks to enforce regulations, carrying out around
252,000 checks in 2008-9. VOSA’s approach is more effective in
targeting vehicles which do not comply with roadworthiness
regulations but most accidents are caused by driver performance and
driver behaviour. The police are responsible for enforcing road
traffic laws and dealing with breaches but the Agency could use
roadside checks and operator visits to educate drivers and
operators about road safety. It does not have a comprehensive
education programme for operators or drivers.
The effectiveness of VOSA’s roadside checks is constrained. Some
stopping sites are no longer at strategically important locations
owing to changes in the road network over time. Sites can also be
rendered inoperable by local roadworks or diversions. The Agency’s
delegated powers to stop vehicles are provided inconsistently
across Britain. It has delegated powers in England and Wales but
current accreditation arrangements are cumbersome and inefficient.
In Scotland it does not have delegated powers yet for legislative
reasons. The Department has plans for VOSA to be given direct
powers to stop throughout Great Britain by October 2010.
The Agency’s ability to target risky commercial vehicles
entering the UK is limited by a lack of access to ship manifest and
other information held by Government and because VOSA cannot always
inspect incoming vehicles at ports. Not all sanctions can be
deployed effectively against foreign drivers and the Agency has no
direct power to impose sanctions on foreign operators.
Publication details:
HC: 210, 2009-10
ISBN: 9780102963397