New regulations 'will improve road safety'
26 Aug 2008
The European Union has announced new measures to help improve lorry safety, in what is likely to be good news for motorcycle insurance customers.
By March 31st 2009, all vehicles over 3.5 tonnes will be obliged by law to be retrofitted with new mirrors designed to improve the driver's field of vision.
It is hoped that this will improve the safety of vulnerable road users such as motorcyclists and pedestrians by reducing the lorry's blind spot.
Geoff Dossetter, director of external affairs at the Freight Transport Association, said: "Over many years there have been tragic accidents involving motorcyclists moving along the inside of a heavy vehicle but totally unseen by the driver.
"The new generation of mirrors considerably improves the lorry driver's field of vision."
It was recently reported by Pegasus that the annual number of crashes on UK roads involving foreign registered lorries could be as high as 9,800.
