Taxi Driver Online

Camborne taxi driver died sleeping at the wheel


A taxi driver died after falling asleep at the wheel following a 12-hour shift and ploughed into an on-coming lorry, an inquest heard.

The airbags in the cab Colin Barker was supplied failed to work and he was not wearing a seatbelt which he was not legally required to wear.

A postmortem showed the 46-year-old twin, who lived at Camborne, died from multiple injuries in the accident on November 3 last year at around 5.30am on Tregolls Road, Truro.

Polish lorry driver Henryk Glinowiecki was driving the white DAF box lorry from Exeter to Falmouth when he neared a bend in the road.

In a statement read out to an inquest in Truro yesterday, he said: “It (the taxi) just kept going straight as if the bend was not there. He drove across the road into my lorry. I had no time to steer away.”

Mark Richards, vehicle examiner, said although there were no mechanical defects with the taxi to make it veer onto the wrong side of the road, the air-bags were faulty.

PC Paul Frost, crash scene investigator, described the impact as “low” with both vehicles travelling at around 20mph.
He said: “It’s unlikely the lorry driver could have done anything to avoid it. My findings are consistent with Mr Barker falling asleep when the collision occurred.”

Mr Barker, who served for 11 years in the Royal Ordnance Corps, worked for Truro-based A2B Taxis.

Asked if Mr Barker had taken breaks during his shift, Julie Perryman, who co-owns the business with her husband Philip, said: “We do always suggest they take plenty of breaks.”

It was up to the drivers how many hours they chose to work, she said.

Coroner Barrie van den Berg recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Source:This is Cornwall

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Very sad but avoidable if the operators cared just enough to ensure they're drivers had breaks

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Add's weight to the thread Jasbar started in the Scots section.

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Has anyone ever heard an operator give advice to drivers to take plenty of breaks?

And don't the new data systems have a facility to ensure drivers can only book on for X number of hours?

Is that facility ever used anywhere?

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IDFIMH

Didnt the chap from a certain Sefton PH firm tell the LC although drivers worked long hours they had to press a button every so often on the datahead to make sure they were awake?

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

I believe that's how they accept a job.

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IDFIMH

I seem to remember seeing it somewhere.....it could have been from the select committee?

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

The guy at 1:43 is complaining that he phoned for a cab but couldnt get one.......aint that a PHV issue?

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

No.

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IDFIMH

oops wrong thread!

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Yeah he did say it and it's called the 'pass the buck button' I think it's on a thread here somewhere

_________________
Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

was it on the radio show?

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

I don't think it was tbh

_________________
Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!