Jail threat for ‘unaware’ van operators

16th July 2015

Over four-fifths of van operators running individual vehicles or small fleets are in danger of landing themselves in jail, as they’re unaware of legislation that makes them responsible for the working condition of a vehicle driven by one of their colleagues.

According to research carried out by VansA2Z.com at the 2015 Commercial Vehicle Show, 82% of owner operators are unaware of Corporate Manslaughter legislation.  Yet if one of their staff is at the wheel of a company van and is involved in accident resulting in death or serious injury to themselves or a third party, the van operator could be found liable – especially if the vehicle is defective.

“Illegal, badly-maintained vans are a peril to other road users, and many owners are not only unaware of the faults on some of their vehicles, but also of their personal liability if something goes horribly wrong,” the MD of VansA2Z.com, Kevin Gregory, said.

Data supplied by the Vehicle & Operator Standards Agency shows that at least 50% of vans fail their first MOT roadworthiness test, with many older vans often exhibiting even more serious faults, such as structural corrosion.  The vast majority of MOT failures relate to vehicle lighting, brakes and steering components, all of which could contribute to a major road traffic accident.

Statistically, around 300,000 vans a year are sold in the UK, with the number rising to 320,000 in 2014 and projected to be even more in 2015.  That means, on average, at least 150,000 vans a year fail their first MOT, some with potentially deadly faults that could put drivers and road users at risk of injury and their owners at risk of a jail sentence.