Lorries that at nighttime are standing or moving diagonally on the road because the driver wants to enter or leave a drive, are often poorly visible for approaching motorists. This is why the Minister of Transport, in anticipation of a European Union regulation, wants to make it obligatory that, in the Netherlands, lorries have reflective stripes along the contours of trailers. This is a recommendation of the Dutch Transport Safety Board. The Board has studied a number of fatal accidents in which it appears that motorists had not noticed the side of a lorry in time. At the time of all these accidents, the lorries had been equipped with the currently obligatory reflectors and vehicle lighting. The retro-reflecting contour marking (RRCM) that the Board wants obligatory would reduce the number of road deaths by an estimated 2 or 3 annually, the number of in-patients by 20 to 30, and the number of accidents by several hundred. The EU is momentarily preparing the obligation of RCCM; but, according to the Board, this is taking too long and wants the Netherlands government to anticipate this. In addition, the Board recommends that road authorities, such as municipalities and provinces, when issuing or extending the drive permits for company grounds that are frequently used by lorries, should insist that lorries must be able to move forwards when entering and leaving these grounds. The problems signalled by the Board mainly occur where company grounds only have one entry/exit, forcing drivers to manoeuvre backwards. The branch organisations in road haulage, agriculture, and horticulture are recommended to advise their members to carry out such manoeuvres as much as possible during hours of darkness. If this cannot be done, adequate safety measures should be taken.
Samenvatting