Danger! HGVs

MPs urge crackdown on foreign trucks

LONDON (Reuters) - MPs called on Monday for the agency that carries out safety checks on lorries on Britain's roads to be given more powers after a high proportion of unsafe vehicles were found to be foreign-owned.

A report by the House of Commons Transport Committee found almost half of vehicles examined in Britain and registered overseas were unroadworthy or deficient in some way, compared with 38 percent of UK vehicles.

Foreign-registered vehicles account for more than 80 percent of heavy goods traffic in Britain.

"Britain has some of the safest roads in Europe but more must be done to ensure compliance with our safety standards for lorries, buses and coaches," said the committee's chairman Louise Ellman.

The worst offenders were Czech-registered Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) drivers, 60 percent of whose trucks failed roadworthiness tests in 2007--2008, the report said.

Polish and Hungarian vehicles failed more than 50 percent of safety checks, while German and Italian lorries had serious safety flaws in more than 40 percent of cases.

By comparison the number of UK-registered vehicles failing safety tests was 37.5 percent.

The committee was reporting back on its investigation into the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA), charged with safety-testing lorries, buses and coaches.

The report concluded that the agency must be given additional powers and resources to get dangerous vehicles and drivers off the road.