The Best And Worst Stories About Drivers In 2016

There have been a lot of ups and downs in the HGV industry this year, and nowhere has this been more apparent than in the press. One minute there’s a positive story about HGV drivers, and the next there’s something much less positive.

Let’s take a look back at some of the best and the worst stories involving HGV drivers that have been in the media in 2016.

Beating the bullies in Birmingham

Who can forget the HGV driver in Birmingham who saved a schoolboy from bullies as they were in the middle of stealing his bike. The whole thing was caught on the dashboard camera and put on YouTube, and the driver was hailed as a hero by both local and national press.

Best bus driver in Devon?

Bus driver Barry Smith was still very new to his route through Devon when he saw a man collapse on the pavement and hit his head. Barry, a trained first aider, immediately stopped his bus to help the man who had had a heart attack. By performing CPR and calling an ambulance, Barry helped save the man’s life, but he still apologised to his passengers when he arrived late to pick them up.

From tiredness to tragedy

Sleep deprivation was thought to be the reason HGV driver Alexander Fraser drifted his lorry over to the wrong side of the road on the A9 near Kingussie, during a tragic night shift gone wrong. He killed himself and injured a fellow HGV driver heading in the opposite direction, and was said to have been having trouble sleeping during the daytimes leading up to the accident due to roadworks near his house.

The industry responded with sympathy and reminders to all drivers to ensure they know how to deal with night shifts and the sleep problems that can occur if not caught early.

A Mobile Danger

When Tomasz Kroker changed the music on his phone whilst driving, he didn’t realise it would be the tiny action that would lead to monumental consequences for many people. Tomasz ploughed his HGV into a car in front of him, killing a mother and three children. He was sent to prison, and once again the industry repeated warnings that drivers should not use phones while moving. It was also revealed, in the aftermath of this accident, that half of all drivers have admitted to committing this crime.As a result, unmarked police HGVs now patrol the motorways looking at HGV drivers who aren’t paying attention to the road as they drive.