With the government’s sinister snooper laws, and human rights record in the UK slipping (Julian Assange, say no more) it’s no wonder companies look at what the government gets away with, and start installing cameras to observe drivers.
Now before any transport staff, managers, trainers, and other advocates start to run my post down, i would like to make a point.
Yes, I understand that with all the dodgy drivers that have flooded the labour market over the last few years has driven companies to take tougher measures to improve road safety, I get that, I understand the logic.
But my point is the dignity aspect of this. Yes I know that government agencies can override our human rights, with a scribble of some bureaucrat. And we all know how ethical bureaucrats are. cough cough what with the fantastic oversight we have in this country cough cough.
But my point is this. In article 8 of the human rights law (really to me it’s not worth the paper it’s written on) It states that a person can have their human rights violated if there is intrusion by public authority at a place in your home of expected privacy.
i.e. a repair man from the council came to your home, and was clearing the guttering and looked in the window and see’s your other half having a shower, that is good grounds to use this legislation, unless he was shocked at the horrible sight, fell of the ladder and wished for a quick death as he tumbled to the ground.
Any way, the point is this: Pay attention now: A drivers cab is a place a driver can spend many hours a day, sometimes 12 or more hours on his or her own. during that time, a driver may feel relaxed and comfortable, to the point a song comes on the radio, and as humans we all take the opportunity to have a little warble when behind the wheel, or we may think out loud, by talking to ourselves (hey I’m on the road alone for many hours) anyway my point is, that there should be a certain level of expected dignity.
There should be under CCTV laws a guidance for companies to follow to ensure driver dignity, and that if a driver finds out that transport staff have been laughing at the driver for a clip or audio of the driver saying, or singing, over breaking down, in frustration when stuck in a traffic jam for hours, that the driver should have rights to seek compensation.
It’s high time the government started to rebuild trust with it’s citizens and overhaul CCTV laws for companies, and update article 8 of the human rights laws, to ensure that not just anyone at a company is allowed to know of preview your activity while driving, as it could be embarrassing, and violating trust and causes worry, paranoia amongst drivers, and defiantly lowers morale.
As an agency driver (yes I know, apparently agency drivers can’t hold down a regular job, blah blah blah) I see these cameras appearing in companies, and the effect is defiantly not a morale booster.
Drivers are quite rattled by the intrusion, not so much worried about their conduct as a professional driver, more so, on the dignity, privacy aspect, and concern that the gossip machine will go into overdrive at their ringing a cat’s neck while behind the wheel.
Your thoughts, and please don’t respond if you are going to take an easy shot at me, don’t be a sad sack, this is definitely a major concern for drivers dignity.
If you are a manager for a company, and want to reply, I would like to first say, how would you feel if the company put a camera in your company car, or in their sales staffs car, and that this country’s laws have not kept up with not only government intrusion, but corporate intrusion into citizens right to privacy and dignity.
.and not there to catch me out at all…aye right. 
