‘White van man’ is of course a sterotype but the general road worthiness of vans is of serious concern whatever the colour and it's pretty obvious that things have to change.
VOSA's roadside enforcement experience is that targeting light goods vehicles in poor condition is easier than shooting fish in a barrel. MOT test results for Class 7s show that they are the worst with half of them failing year after year.
This year the Department for Transport is funding greater VOSA activity on light goods vehicle enforcement. Our staff will be using a variety of methods to identify the non-compliant and take enforcement sanctions. By working with other partner agencies involved in road safety the range of sanctions could see these vehicles at least being prohibited and possibly drivers and their employers being prosecuted through the criminal justice system.
MOT garages can help here by letting all light goods vehicle customers know that VOSA is stepping-up our efforts in the hunt for poorly maintained light goods vehicles. With the range of techniques available to us there will shortly be no hiding place other than in a small cube in a scrap yard or in one of your repair bays.
Feature image courtesy of Shutterstock images.