Karin Smyth MP calls on the Government to keep our streets safe from faulty trailers
Karin Smyth MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Trailer and Towing Safety, has today renewed her calls for “meaningful Government action” to tackle the scourge of faulty and dangerous trailers on our roads. Her calls come ahead of the annual meeting of the APPG on Wednesday of this week.
In 2014, three year old Freddie Hussey was killed after an accident in Bedminster involving a two-tonne trailer. In the years since, Karin has worked closely with Freddie’s parents Donna and Scott to push for action in Parliament to address the issue of ill-fitted and faulty trailers, as well as raising awareness amongst motorists. As part of the campaigning work, Karin launched the APPG for Trailer and Towing Safety.
Wednesday’s meeting will see updates from the Department for Transport on data captured by the DVSA during road safety checks on trailers. This follows initial reports showing that 50% of light trailers stopped were not roadworthy. Support will also be sought for the APPG’s summer campaign for safer towing.
Karin Smyth, MP for Bristol South, said:
“Since the accident that took Freddie’s life in 2014, I have been proud to work alongside Donna and Scott Hussey as we campaigned to drive improvements in trailer safety. The APPG has been an important part of this work, and this year’s AGM is another important step towards improving the safety of trailers and towed vehicles in England and Wales.
“The report on trailer safety in the UK released by the Government last year was itself a sign of progress, but the data it contained was shocking, with a staggering 50% of trailers are not deemed roadworthy. If anyone was in doubt of the scale of the challenge ahead, this report made crystal clear how substantial the challenges are.
“I am calling on the Government to bring in important measures such as requiring trailers to pass yearly MOT-style tests and keeping up to date databases on trailer owners which would go a long way in raising standards of the trailers on our roads.”