Inquiry to be launched looking at firm employing uninsured lorry drivers after latest cycling death
Last week a lorry driver was sentenced to three and a half years in jail and banned from driving for 10 years, after killing a cyclist by careless driving, and also driving without insurance and the proper license. In addition to this he had been driving excessive hours twice in the 10 days previous to the tragedy.
The incident happened in Holborn where the truck driver, Mr Meyer, was attempting to keep up with another truck and illegally ran a red light, stopping in a cross-hatched area. Once he had the chance to move on, he accelerated quickly and as a consequence killed a cyclist that had come through a green light from another direction and was negotiating his way through the hatched junction hitherto blocked by the truck. The judge stated that if Mr Meyer had been vigilant with his observation checks he would have seen the cyclist. An on-board camera showed that the cyclist overtook the truck quite clearly before the truck began to accelerate leading to the tragedy.
Initially there were no plans by the Traffic Commissioner to investigate the conduct of Mr Meyer's employer as to why they had not bothered to check to see that he had a license, however after petitioning from London Cycling Campaign, the Traffic Commissioner has now decided to launch a public inquiry into the lorry's owner, Alan Drummond. A preliminary hearing is to be held in June followed by the public inquiry in July.
Jennifer Buchanan, solicitor with Fieldfisher, says "LCC have done a great job putting pressure on when it matters, why a lorry driver with no licence was employed is beyond me. Furthermore the inquiry must look into why the truck driver had been allowed to drive excessive hours twice in the 10 days previous to the tragedy. These lines of enquiry should be of utmost importance and should not require the tireless efforts of London Cycling Campaign in order to effect an inquiry. My thoughts go out to the family at this tragic time".
Initially there were no plans by the Traffic Commissioner to investigate the conduct of Mr Meyer's employer as to why they had not bothered to check to see that he had a license, however after petitioning from London Cycling Campaign, the Traffic Commissioner has now decided to launch a public inquiry into the lorry's owner, Alan Drummond. A preliminary hearing is to be held in June followed by the public inquiry in July.
Jennifer Buchanan, solicitor with Fieldfisher, says "LCC have done a great job putting pressure on when it matters, why a lorry driver with no licence was employed is beyond me. Furthermore the inquiry must look into why the truck driver had been allowed to drive excessive hours twice in the 10 days previous to the tragedy. These lines of enquiry should be of utmost importance and should not require the tireless efforts of London Cycling Campaign in order to effect an inquiry. My thoughts go out to the family at this tragic time".