Over 100 dangerous commercial vehicles taken off the road in multi-agency crackdown

A joint operation between the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), South Wales Police, Gwent Police, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Natural Resources Wales, and Trading Standards in October has seen over 100 dangerous vehicles taken off the road.

Enforcement teams involved in the operation were largely targeting vans and other light goods vehicles being used for commercial purposes.

Across all check sites, DVSA examiners issued a total of 110 immediate prohibitions for defects so dangerous that they result in a vehicle being immediately removed from the road.

The most common defects across all the operations related to overloading and tyres.

These defects compromise vehicle performance, including stopping distances and steering capability, putting the driver and other members of the public at risk in the local areas they operate.

One of the vehicles pulled in at a check in Swansea had a catastrophic 25 prohibitable mechanical defects.

The driver was reported for dangerous use by South Wales Police after DVSA examiners found issues with the vans steering, significant corrosion, tyres which were damaged, deflated and had an illegal tread depth, loose tools and equipment that could interfere with controls in the cab, broken indicators, and an expired MOT.  

Alongside the most dangerous defects found, 71 delayed prohibitions were also issued.

DVSA’s Head of Regulatory Services & Transformation Caroline Hicks, said:“DVSA’s priority is to protect people from unsafe drivers and vehicles, which includes taking dangerous traders off the road.

“This action alongside our partners serves as a reminder of the risks associated with cutting corners on road safety. Every driver or operator has a responsibility to check their vehicle is in a roadworthy condition before beginning a journey.

“DVSA is here to support those operators and drivers who do comply and are safe on our roads. We want to ensure they are not disadvantaged by dangerous and reckless road use.“We endeavor to support drivers and operators to remain safe, which is why we have produced guidance accessible on GOV.UK to empower commercial road users to make Welsh roads safe for everybody.”  

(Lead image: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA))