Too many Devon delivery drivers under-qualified

VIDEO: Police commissioner concerned at speeding too

Devon's police and crime commissioner Alison Hernandez says she's worried about the number of delivery drivers in the region who don't have the proper qualifications or insurance to do the job.

With the rise in home deliveries in 2020 because of lockdown, many firms, shops, pubs and restaurants have increased their deliver services. But not all are thought to be as attentive to the qualifications of their drivers as perhaps they should be.  

Commissioner Hernandez said: “I am concerned that these newly hired drivers are not adequately qualified, insured or prepared to be travelling as much as they are.  We have had reports of delivery drivers speeding in residential areas and travelling in vehicles which appear to be unroadworthy."

The police and crime commissioner has also slammed motorists who risk lives by travelling at “ridiculous” speeds on our roads. New statistics from national road safety charity Brake shows men are three times more likely to drive above 100 mph than women, with more than one in four of the admitting it. It's just one in 10 of women. Last week a driver was clocked doing 145 mph by police on the M5 in Devon.

Alison Hernandez is the national police and crime commissioners' lead on road safety. She says: “Our community is fed up with people flouting traffic laws when behind the wheel of a car and putting our lives at risk.

“Road crashes leave people’s lives devastated and we must do everything within our powers to stop them, and this includes clamping down on those who feel it’s OK to travel at ridiculous speeds. “My recent survey on road safety showed that over 70 per cent of respondents witness this happening either daily or weekly where they live. 

“There is a reason speed limits exist, they’re not there just to annoy you – they are there to protect you and everyone around you.  Ignoring them is simply unacceptable, which is why I believe fines issued to speeding motorists should be doubled in order to provide a greater deterrent.”

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner is part of the Vision Zero South West Partnership which aims to completely eliminate all crashes resulting in fatal and serious injuries within the next 20 years. Their analysis shows traffic across Devon had reduced by between 30 and 40 per cent since the new lockdown started on 5 November.  However, it’s feared that quieter roads in the region will lead to increased speeding and more serious collisions as a result.

Commissioner Hernandez said: “While this second lockdown is not quite as stringent as the first, we are already seeing substantially fewer vehicles out and about compared to ‘normal’ times - but that mustn’t be seen as an excuse to treat our roads as a racetrack.