Went for an assessment last week and whilst signing the usual reams of declarations the assessor comes out with “…and now VOSA will not only do you for having a satnav in the window, but if they see that the sucker ring is within the swept area of the wipers they will do you for having had one there.” I think this is clearly a load of Jane Horrocks, anybody got any actual experience of this? Considering all the wagons I see with various mascots, football emblems, pennants, etc etc etc all cluttering up the window, and if I can see them then so can VOSA, it seems unlikely that VOSA are so concerned with a satnav unless it’s put somewhere really stupid (like right in front of your face).
Has this industry always been like this, so full of barrack room lawyers? When I was a motorbike courier I got randomly stopped by the Met traffic plod so many times we almost got on first name terms (the same for all the other riders). We knew what would be enforced because the enforcers would regularly tell us. In 6 years of having a HGV license I’ve never been stopped by VOSA, and I’ve met very few who have. But seems that the VOSA man is some kind of bogeyman for drivers, a mythical beast who will strip you of your wealth and license for the slightest of a whole bunch of unlikely and illogical infractions. What’s the truth of it?
They could not prove it was a ring from YOUR sucker. Unless it is your assigned truck. Oh and yes it’s a load of bull manure. Common sense dictates you don’t have it in the middle of the windscreen, but as far as I am aware there is no legislation to dictate the position of a sat nav and VOSA can only ‘do’ you on citing some legislation.
Never tried to take the P and am not daft enough to think i could pull the wool over their eyes, fools they are not.
If you are decent with them they will be decent with you, well in my experience anyway, no doubt the odd idiot exists in their ranks just as the odd idiot is behind the wheel of some trucks.
On the subject of satnav, why do people insist on stciking the blasted things to the screen with spit, leaving hard to shift rings, put it on one of those weighted non slip bases, doesn’t matter what truck i’ve been in or how violent the ride its never shifted.
I detest cluttered or dirty windows, and would nick anyone who hides behind tassled half drawn curtains obliterating most of their peripheral vision.
Juddian:
On the subject of satnav, why do people insist on stciking the blasted things to the screen with spit, leaving hard to shift rings, put it on one of those weighted non slip bases, doesn’t matter what truck i’ve been in or how violent the ride its never shifted.
Mines stuck bottom right hand corner of windscreen. Dash area not suitable for standing anything on. Been pulled by VOSA twice in last 2 months and nothing said about anything.
There is nothing in law to render you getting a fp for having a sat nav in the window, or every copper in the land would be extremely busy dishing out tickets to the thousands of cars that use them also, so if that’s the opinon of the assessor, then you need to be asking what sort of a numpty he is, and is the company worth working for.
Biscuits:
Went for an assessment last week and whilst signing the usual reams of declarations the assessor comes out with “…and now VOSA will not only do you for having a satnav in the window, but if they see that the sucker ring is within the swept area of the wipers they will do you for having had one there.” I think this is clearly a load of Jane Horrocks,
I think you are clearly right. It never ceases to amaze me in this industry, how much myth is simply made up.
i’ve got one of those little tables held by 2 suckers on my dash and fixed to the screen on my 4 series scanny, been pulled by vosa twice since i have had it in the past 5 years and not once have i been told to take it out, or issued with a fixed penalty for it or the other fury creatures that the kids have given me sitting on the dash come to that. but then again when i get pulled i am always polite and don’t rub the vosa man up the wrong way so normally in and out quickly with no problems
Having anything within the swept area of the windscreen can leave you liable for a ticket, it’s obsuring your vision, doesn’t take a genius to work that one out! Hardly ever enforced though. Although it has to be said, those that fill their windscreen up with stupid flags, frilly curtains and other bling are obviously lacking enough common sense to be trusted with 40 odd tonnes of metal…
There is a seperate offence of having a TV within view of the driver. (there is also an offence of ‘Mascot likely to cause injury’ - quite how that scenario will ever materialise is anyone’s guess)
As for the ‘sucker ring’ in the window and Vosa ‘doing you’ for having had one there in the past, think logically about it… what evidence would there be for the prosecution if you contested it in court? There is none, if you get a ticket for it, take it to court, Vosa will produce no evidence - they can’t prove anything was there when you were driving, they can’t prove it was you that stuck it there, and they can’t prove what was stuck there. Courts needs facts not speculation and they’d end up looking pretty stupid and having to fork out your court costs… sounds like your firm needs to stop employing numpty assessors!
If you have it stuck there for the MOT its a fail, as are fury dice, teddies and anything else…
but when driving? I think you would have to have been weaving up the road rolling a ■■■ with one hand while on the phone with the other and steering with the belly before they try to throw sat nav on the window in to the mix…
Harry Monk:
I’ve never heard of VOSA prosecuting for having a Satnav in the swept area of the windscreen but it is an MOT fail.
I must have got a kind tester both times I’ve put mine through its test then as it passed with the pratnav on there both times without it even being mentioned. Also been stopped a couple of times at roadside checks without any mention of it.
MAT:
It never ceases to amaze me in this industry, how much myth is simply made up.
I think the definition of a myth is something that is made up so I would say I am not even slightly amazed that 100% of all myths are made up
Paul
The wonders of etymology… it’s like when religious people talk about their faith. By definition, “faith” requires the belief in something, the existence of which cannot be proven…
Biscuits:
Went for an assessment last week and whilst signing the usual reams of declarations the assessor comes out with “…and now VOSA will not only do you for having a satnav in the window, but if they see that the sucker ring is within the swept area of the wipers they will do you for having had one there.” I think this is clearly a load of Jane Horrocks, anybody got any actual experience of this? Considering all the wagons I see with various mascots, football emblems, pennants, etc etc etc all cluttering up the window, and if I can see them then so can VOSA, it seems unlikely that VOSA are so concerned with a satnav unless it’s put somewhere really stupid (like right in front of your face).
Has this industry always been like this, so full of barrack room lawyers? When I was a motorbike courier I got randomly stopped by the Met traffic plod so many times we almost got on first name terms (the same for all the other riders). We knew what would be enforced because the enforcers would regularly tell us. In 6 years of having a HGV license I’ve never been stopped by VOSA, and I’ve met very few who have. But seems that the VOSA man is some kind of bogeyman for drivers, a mythical beast who will strip you of your wealth and license for the slightest of a whole bunch of unlikely and illogical infractions. What’s the truth of it?
Don’t worry about it. While they’re occupied with taking the DNA sample from the spittle on the windscreen, you can nip around to the trailer and make sure you counted the correct number of turns on the leg winding handle before you left the coned-off area in the RDC. Oh, don’t forget to wipe the chalk mark off the tyre too because tyres that aren’t completely black will get you a GV9.
Biscuits:
But seems that the VOSA man is some kind of bogeyman for drivers, a mythical beast who will strip you of your wealth and license for the slightest of a whole bunch of unlikely and illogical infractions. What’s the truth of it?
On the few occasions I’ve been stopped by VOSA they’ve been fine, I couldn’t really fault them even if I wanted to, without wishing to change the subject so have the HATO’s I’ve encountered.
The assessors I’ve dealt with have all been good friendly helpful people to, I couldn’t say a word against them in that respect, but they do seem to talk some crap on occasions, having said that so do a lot of the other drivers I’ve met
Our outfit have a COMPANY policy of no satnavs so I wouldn’t be surprised if the assessor is explaining COMPANY policy but is personally embarrassed by it so shifts the blame to VOSA trying to save his embarrassment at being associated with such a COMPANY. Would the company be a 3 letter German outfit by chance?
The ‘sucker ring’ could be caused by anything, even a stick on note pad etc.
The law however in the UK actually prohibits having ANY screen device such as TV, etc within visual range of the driver and as a sat nav is such a device then tachnically it is ilegal but then every damm car driver needs booking also.
Pat Hasler:
The law however in the UK actually prohibits having ANY screen device such as TV, etc within visual range of the driver and as a sat nav is such a device then tachnically it is ilegal but then every damm car driver needs booking also.
Not so.
Using hands-free phones, sat-navs and two-way radios when driving
It’s not illegal to use hands-free phones, sat-navs (satellite navigation systems) and two-way radios while driving, but they can be a distraction. You’ll face the same penalties as using a phone if the police believe you’re not in proper control of your vehicle.
