Echo News

Councillor’s brush with death on the QE2 bridge

By Stephen Hackwell

5:00pm Friday 27th January 2012

A TERRIFIED councillor has launched a road safety campaign after his car was nearly sent spinning on the QE2 bridge.

Blaine Robin, a Tory councillor in Southend, plans to join lobbyists calling for the Government to bring in tougher restrictions on European left-hand drive vehicles.

Dr Robin, of the Butterys, Southend, was driving across the Dartford Crossing earlier this week when a Slovakian lorry turned into his car, spinning it round until it stopped close to the edge of the QE2 bridge.

The impact smashed up the left side of Dr Robin’s car and left him with pains in his chest, back and legs.

He said: “I could have been killed quite easily. It has really shaken me up. The lorry tried to move lane because the driver could not see me.

“It hit my car and spun it. Before I knew it, I was looking out towards the Thames.”

Under British law, there are no restrictions on left-hand-drive vehicles.

However, the growth of the European market has led to a steady increase in the number of left-hand-drive lorries or large vans on the UK’s roads.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents claims the likelihood of an accident has increased as a result, because drivers have a large blind spot on their right side.

Statistics published by the Department for Transport in 2005 showed one-third of all collisions involving left-hand-drive lorries were due to the blind spot. A society spokesman said: “Left-hand-drive vehicles are not designed for use on Britain’s roads.

“As a result, blind spots can be larger than with British vehicles.

“This is most pronounced when the vehicle has other road users coming up the far side or when turning right.”

The Government announced a consultation on plans to tax foreign haulage drivers for using British roads yesterday.

Each vehicle could pay a £10 daily toll to bankroll repairs and maintenance.

But Dr Robin said that was not enough. He said: “We need to do more to ensure they are driving safely. All it takes is one incident and you may have a death on your hands.”

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