One of the UK’s largest waste management companies is running a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of driving on pavements and the significant impact it has on the safety of its workers, and other pedestrians.
Biffa launched its Driving Recklessly on Pavements (DROPs) campaign on the back of figures which show that waste collection operatives report 30,000 incidents of motorists driving recklessly on pavements each month.
To support the campaign, Biffa has published CCTV footage (featured) which makes for ‘shocking viewing’ and shows numerous incidents of careless drivers mounting pavements and driving into or nearly missing refuse collection workers.
Biffa handles 10% of household waste collections in the UK and says its collection teams are reporting around 3,000 incidents of reckless driving per month.
The waste company is working with Staffordshire Police to develop a new prosecution system, including fitting its trucks with 360 degree cameras, which Biffa says has led to a marked improvement in the number of reported incidents.
In addition to collaborating with the police, Biffa has introduced clearer hi-vis clothing and is working on resident awareness campaigns.
Lawrence Emerson, Biffa’s head of health and safety, said: “The issue is far, far greater than the industry, or the public, could ever possibly imagine.
“I joined Biffa in 2015 from an aviation background, so I am used to high risk workplaces. When I went out with our crews on their collections, my jaw was on the floor – I could not believe what I was seeing and the danger the crews were facing every day due to reckless drivers.
“The careless behaviour of drivers has been accepted by our staff as ‘part of the job’. Up until recently, they rarely reported such incidents to their managers let alone the police.”
I can only make comment on the way refuse collection vehicles are driven in my locality, as that is where the bulk of my exerience lays. I must say that the drivers seem very conscious of the potential delays caused to other road users, and do all they can to minimise them.
It is truly shocking that so many drivers put their journey above the safety of others, and they really do deserve no mercy when caught.
David, Suffolk
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Let’s hope prosecutions follow from these incidents caught on camera. Many years ago, I turned into my road and a refuse wagon was blocking progress, so I waited… in the meantime another driver decided he didn’t want to wait, so mounted the kerb, drove down the full width of the footway to pass the wagon (as in the examples in the video) practically brushing against driveway entrances and back on to the road again – he was an off-duty police traffic officer, on his way home! A fine example to set.
Hugh Jones, Cheshire
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