Trucks more likely to be involved in accidents because they're big. Fact?

Last month charity Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) published a report that measured the out-swing of a 15.65m longer semi-trailer.

The research was jumped on by Labour shadow transport minister Richard Burden MP last week, who suggested the government should scrap the longer semi-trailer trial and instead focus on shifting freight to rail.

On investigation, Motortransport.co.uk’s sister title Commercial Motor found that the report provided little evidence of the dangers of longer semi-trailers. A spokeswoman for the campaign was also unable to identify a specific event that prompted it to be commissioned.

Unperturbed, the charity has now published more research into the haulage industry, this time looking at the rate of fatal accidents involving LGVs over the last six years.

The research, carried out by Metropolitan Transport Research Unit (MTRU) on behalf of CBT, claimed trucks are more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than other vehicle types, mainly because of their size and weight.

These are of course dangers that the industry is well aware of, and something O-licence regulations, drivers' hours legislation, Driver CPC, and countless other laws are in place to mitigate. And there are also the traffic commissioners and Vosa keeping operators on their toes.

Despite the charity's bold central claim that trucks are more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than other vehicles, the published data simply lists trucks (with no detail of type, weight or length) and other vehicles.

Indeed, despite it's own research not illustrating a link between length of vehicle and increased accident rate, or even speed of vehicle and accident rate, the charity’s spokeswoman, Philippa Edmunds, resumed her attack and said the government should abandon “wrong-headed initiatives to allow longer lorries and higher speed limits for LGVs on single carriageways”.

These are the same initiatives the government and the transport industry believe will stop frustrated motorists from dangerously overtaking trucks currently limited to 40mph on A-roads, potentially reducing accidents. In the case of longer trailers, their use were appropriate should help to free-up road space.

These suggestions have been rationally put forward by the industry. And in the case of longer semi-trailers a trial is underway to collect empirical data to form the basis of a comprehensive analysis, divorced from hysteria. Something the Campaign for Better Transport might like to consider.