Published : Thursday, 14 May 2009
An accident management firm says it has seen the number of crashes involving foreign trucks on UK roads rise by more than 10% over the past year.
According to statistics from Accident Exchange, overseas lorries were at fault for one in every 378 road traffic accidents it handled between March 2008 and February 2009 – an increase of 10% on the previous 12-month period.
The London orbital M25 was the scene of 25% of all reported left-hand HGV accidents -up from 20% on the previous 12-month period.
About 30 people a year die in collisions with foreign left-hand drive trucks, often as a result of "sideswiping" where a vehicle pulls out to overtake, unaware there isa car on their blind side.
Peter Cullum, RHA head of international affairs, says: "In the past year, we have seen escalating fuel prices reduce traffic densities on our major trunk roads. As a result, it's highly possible that increasing motorway speeds are leading to a rise in side-swiping incidents caused by undertaking or overtaking drivers who don't understand the blindspot hazard of left-hand-drive HGVs."
Michael Killoury, managing director of customer services at Accident Exchange, adds: "Non-existing policies, difficulty contacting foreign insurance companies, drivers pulling off without leaving details are all reasons cited for why motorists are likely to be unsuccessful in recovering damages from foreign-registered HGVs."
