Leo Varadkar, minister for transport has published a new bill yesterday (5th of April 2012) regarding the testing roadworthiness of commercial vehicles. The bill comes on the back of a study that the RSA commissioned PwC to conduct.
The highlights of the bill are as follows:
- Responsibility is transferring from local authorities to the RSA
- Testing centers and licensing of authorised test centres
- New powers will be put in place to carry out roadside inspections and also inspections of commercial operators premises
- A “risk register” will be introduced that will rank operators based on risk
The new legislation is hoped to bring the following advantages:
- Improved safety, currently 1 in 5 fatalities on the road involve a commercial vehicle
- Reduced congestion through fewer breakdowns (improper roadworthiness in commercial vehicles is thought to lead to breakdowns and resulting in congestion)
- Level the playing field, it is hoped that operators who choose to cut corners to reduce their costs will no longer be able to use these practices and gain advantages from breaking the law
The numbers:
- In 2011, 513,642 commercial vehicles were subject to compulsory roadworthiness testing
- Heavy goods vehicles, large trailers, buses, and ambulances: 117,686 vehicles
- 395,956 light goods vehicles.
- RSA Vehicle Inspectors participated in 597 roadside checkpoints in 2011.
- Roadworthiness checks were completed on 4,919 vehicles
- 47.8% of vehicles tested had defected with 32% of these vehicles having defects serious enough to warrant immediate action, such as impoundment, repair on site, or a new test.
If you are interested in learning more about your roadworthiness testing and vehicle checks, we will be focusing on this area for the next few weeks. Stay tuned to the blog or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Transpoco GPS tracking.
Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash
