Heavy goods vehicle compliance rate shows marked improvement from 2009

Figures from the Northern Ireland Goods Vehicle Compliance Check 2011 Report published today show that the overall level of compliance for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) on Northern Ireland roads now stands at 69%.
~ Tuesday, 17 January 2012

This shows an improvement of 17 percentage points from the previous survey in 2009, where the compliance rate was 52%. It exceeds the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) target of at least 55% compliance, and marks a return to levels seen in 2005.

Overall, 926 HGVs were checked, and of these 426 had trailer units attached. The survey checked for both the roadworthiness of the vehicle and also for traffic offences, such as tax, insurance and drivers hours. In just under one-third (31%) of the checks, a roadworthiness defect and / or a traffic offence was detected, with the most common defects relating to ‘Lamps’ or ‘Brake Systems and Components’ whilst the most frequent traffic offence concerned drivers hours.

The report contains detailed information on the results of the roadside survey, carried out by officers of the Driver and Vehicle Agency. The aim of the survey was to determine the roadworthiness and traffic compliance of HGVs and their trailers travelling on Northern Ireland roads.

The key points from the 2011 survey are:

Overall Non-Compliance

• Of the 926 HGVs checked, 289 (31%) had a serious defect either to the motor vehicle or the trailer, or a traffic offence which necessitated the issue of paperwork*.
• The overall level of non-compliance has fallen from just under half (48%) in 2009 to less than a third (31%) in 2011.
• If the issuing of verbal warnings by DVA officers were deemed to indicate non-compliance, the level has also fallen, but from 70% to 53% over the same period.
• The 289 vehicles found to be non-compliant may have had more than one serious defect and / or traffic offence. For these 289, the most serious offence for each vehicle checked was:
• 65 (7%) were reported for prosecution, and were subsequently prosecuted;
• 26 (3%) were reported for prosecution, but were not subsequently prosecuted;
• 9 (1%) received a fixed penalty notice; and
• 189 (20%) required a prohibition for the most serious defect/ offence.
• Approaching a quarter (23%) of the 926 motor vehicles checked had a roadworthiness defect that resulted in a prohibition, most commonly for ‘Lamps’ or ‘Brake Systems and Components’. Vehicles that were older, heavier or used for hire and reward were more likely to have a serious defect.
• A further 131 vehicles (14%) received a verbal warning.
• Compared with 2009, vehicles checked in 2011 were less likely to have a roadworthiness defect, 38% and 23% in each year respectively, and where there was a defect found it tended to be less serious.

*Includes a prohibition notice (V1/V2 or VT5), a fixed penalty notice or reported for prosecution (RE1)

• Four hundred and twenty six of the vehicles checked had a trailer unit attached. Of these trailers, 60 (14%) had a roadworthiness defect that resulted in a prohibition, most commonly for ‘Lamps’ or ‘Brake Systems and Components’. The likelihood of a trailer having a serious defect significantly increased with trailer age.
• As with the motor vehicles, when compared with 2009, trailers checked in 2011 were less likely to have a roadworthiness defect, 21% and 14% in each year respectively, and where there was a defect found it tended to be less serious.
• Of the HGVs checked, 101 (11%) had committed a traffic offence which was seen as serious in nature (i.e. excluding those resulting in a verbal warning). The most common offence was for Drivers Hours.

Notes to editors:

1. This is the fourth biennial Northern Ireland Goods Vehicle Compliance Check. The report is written by In-House Analytical Consultancy in the Department of Transport, based on fieldwork carried out by the Driver and Vehicle Agency, and produced and issued by Analytical Services Branch.
2. The findings were based on roadside checks carried out on Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) between May and August 2011 by officers of the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA). The checks were carried out on randomly selected vehicles at randomly selected roadside check sites across the Northern Ireland road network.
3. For all types of offences and roadworthiness defects where more than one offence or defect was discovered, the severity of the action taken was assumed to be at the highest level, e.g. if both an immediate and a delayed prohibition were given, then the vehicle was considered to have been prohibited from further use with immediate effect.
4. Except for in the overall compliance headline figures or where stated, non-compliance is defined as the presence of defects or offences of any severity including verbal warnings.
5. The results presented in this report are based on sample survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error (in 2011, the overall compliance rate of 69% was subject to a confidence interval of +/-2.9%, a marked improvement from +/-4.6% seen in the first survey which was carried out). However, any statements in this report regarding differences between groups or over time are statistically significant at the 5% significance level. This significance level is the criteria for judging whether differences between groups might have arisen by chance.
6. Electronic copies of the ‘Northern Ireland Goods Vehicle Compliance Check 2011’ are available at the DOE website.
   
   Should this format not be suitable for your needs hard copies are available free of charge from:
   
   Analytical Service Branch (DVA), Room 1.2, Belfast Test Centre, Balmoral Road, Belfast, BT12 6QL,
   
   Telephone: (028) 9068 5283 E-mail: asb@drdni.gov.uk Website: www.doeni.gov.uk/asb.htm

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