29-10-04 VOSA Use Their Power to Stop at Night
VOSA have been targeting rogue commercial vehicles in some highly successful night time checks in Cambridgeshire. In one week a total of 24 vehicles were banned from the road after being issued with prohibitions for a number of offences, including exceeding drivers’ hours and mechanical defects which made the vehicles unsafe to drive. 3 of the vehicles were impounded immediately, 2 for using red fuel and one for working without an Operator Licence.
Whilst VOSA have the power to stop both commercial vehicles and private motorists without the need for a Police officer to be present, these night time enforcement checks were conducted with Police support as back up.
Bill Harrison, VOSA’s area manager for enforcement in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, was at the night time checks and said “This was a very effective exercise which resulted in a number of unsafe vehicles being removed from the road; this is good news for road safety and for legitimate operators who do not try and break the rules”. Harrison went on to say “I was particularly pleased with the support we received from Cambridgeshire Police which helped make these checks a real success.”.
The Police Reform Act 2002 allows Chief Constables to accredit VOSA staff with the power to stop goods and passenger vehicles. More than half the Police forces in England & Wales have accredited VOSA staff within their areas, and the remaining forces are expected to sign up to the scheme within the next few months.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) was created on 1 April 2003 by merging the former Vehicle Inspectorate and the Traffic Area Network Division of the Department for Transport.
Page last updated: 25/09/2006