Taxi Driver Online

Taxi law blamed for driver death
By LOUISA BARNETT


The Borehamwood mother who died in a car crash may have lost her life due to ill-advised seatbelt licensing laws, it was revealed this week.

Police officers confirmed that minicab driver Ruth Hawthorne, 51, from Aberford Road, was driving without a seat belt when she was killed in the collision with a Ford Transit van in Barnet on October 27.

Mrs Hawthorne's passenger at the time of the accident, a Miss Meloy, revealed the information to police from her bed in Barnet Hospital on Friday last week.

Mrs Hawthorne was not breaking the law by not wearing a seat belt when carrying customers licensed minicab and taxi drivers are exempt from seat belt legislation, to help protect themselves from an attack from behind.

Hertsmere Council's Labour group leader Councillor Leon Reefe, a London taxi driver by profession, said: "The law as it stands should be revised. Unfortunately Mrs Hawthorne has accepted the law on face value and has paid the penalty for it."

Licensing laws are decided nationally, enforced by the police, and distributed to companies by the local authorities.

The council's head of environmental health, Richard Crooks, said: "Although we recognise that this law has been enforced by the Government, it is definitely not something we promote. That is probably why most minicab firms is the area are unaware of the laws and regulations regarding seat belts."

Roger Vincent, from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: "All drivers, no matter what they are driving should wear a seat belt to increase their chances of surviving an accident, no matter what the law says. We should learn an important lesson from cases such as this."

i know the story is a little old.

without being to malicious, you would think that if the lady wanted to wear a seatbelt, she would have.

anyway, ive revently seen a decline in the number of people wearing belts, has anyone else noticed?

Hertsmere Council's Labour group leader Councillor Leon Reefe, a London taxi driver by profession, said: "The law as it stands should be revised. Unfortunately Mrs Hawthorne has accepted the law on face value and has paid the penalty for it."




Sounds like this guy is trying to make political capital from the unfortunate incident too.

regards

Captain cab

Hi

I thought the driver was only exempt in his own area.
I heard of a driver who was given a penalty for not wearing it out of his licensing area.

I though a taxi driver was exempt at all times whilst at work, whereas a ph driver was exempt only when a passenger was in the vehicle.

cant remember the licensing area coming into the equasion.

regards

captain cab

Thats right, I got pulled a few years ago by a jobsworth copper who said I'm only exempt in my own district, if I go out of the district I have to wear my seatbelt.

Maybe that Gladen (HC ops license thing) case will help as the judge says that a HC is always a HC, no matter where or what it is doing.

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IDFIMH

Try telling that to a young skinny copper at 2 in the morning with snot dripping out his nose

hehe you could always offer him a kleenex

regards


Captain cab

Trust you

Don't think the Transport Act says anything about licensing districts, and it definately does not say anything about attacks from behind either. Old wives tales. I have successfully defended several prosecutions against our drivers for this.

What it says, [and I paraphrase] is that Hackney Carriages and vans etc., undertaking local deliveries are exempt from the wearing.

It would not be too hard to glean an "interpretation" from this, that if one were not working "local" than one should indeed wear a seat belt.

Another case for Button verses Keen maybe.

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There is Significant Unmet Demand for my Opinion.