Sunday - June 01, 2008

POOR BRITS HELPLESS AS EU CONTINUES IT’S RELENTLESS INVASION

This story has got to rank among the top stories of STUPID so far this year.  But then hey, when a country overrun with traitors gives away it’s sovereignty, one must not expect much more.

And while I don’t mean to upset or insult my Brit hosts, treason is the only word that comes to mind.
And oh yeah ....  former Conservative offices have now removed the portrait of Mrs. Thatcher in preparation for the new tenants of the bldg.  The EU complete with their silly looking plaque/flag whatever.  But that’s another story.
Here’s this other bit of total lunacy.

Safety rules turn breaking down into AA relay By Ben Leach
Last Updated: 10:38AM BST 01/06/2008

Drivers face marathon journeys home as recovery services are told to hand them on after 62 miles.

For motorists they offer peace of mind and the prospect of a helping hand when things go wrong.

But now rescue organisations, who normally offer a guarantee of a lift home in the event of a breakdown, are leaving drivers stranded at service stations following the introduction of EU health and safety laws.

The new rules forbid drivers of commercial vehicles, including rescue tow trucks, from travelling more than 62 miles from their bases unless the vehicle is fitted with a tachograph – a device that monitors the number of hours spent on the road.

Both the AA and RAC use hundreds of trucks which are not fitted with the equipment.

( both AA and RAC the same as our Triple AAA etc. )

As a result, they are dropping off “rescued” drivers when only part-way home, and telling them to wait for another truck to take them on the next leg of their trip.

Michael and Olga Leapman fell victim to the new rule last week when they broke down near Chepstow, south Wales.

The couple were picked up by the AA and driven to Leigh Delamere service station, on the M4, near Chippenham, Wiltshire.

They were then picked up by a second driver and taken to another service station on the M4, near Reading.

They waited an hour and a half before a third driver arrived to take them home to Stockwell, south London. The whole journey took more than nine hours.

Mr and Mrs Leapman, who are long-standing AA members, were even charged £230 for the rescue because their cover only entitled them to repairs by the roadside or at home.

Mr Leapman, 70, said: “It was rather an ordeal. What should have been a three-hour journey turned into a nine-hour journey.

“We kept being dropped off in different service stations. It wasn’t a pleasant experience.

“The AA drivers kept apologising, saying they wished they could get us home quicker but they couldn’t because they were bound by these rules.”

The new rules, which follow the introduction of EU legislation last year, apply to lorries and vans weighing more than 3.5 tonnes. The regulations also limit the length of time that drivers can remain behind the wheel.

Breakdown companies had thought they were exempt from the rules but, following a complaint from the GMB trade union, the Department for Transport has ordered them to comply.

Nigel Humphries, of the Association of British Drivers, said: “It is a ridiculous situation and yet another example of health and safety legislation being taken too far. There is no common sense or balance to these laws.”

Daniel Hannan, the Conservative MEP, said: “This is a classic example of a piece of EU legislation being introduced without any thought for the practical consequences.

“Laws like these are being introduced just for the sake of it.”

A spokesman for the AA said: “For those members who require a long distance recovery, the legislation does sometimes affect its duration, as additional changeovers are required.” He added that the company had reimbursed the Leapmans’ £230.

http://tinyurl.com/6c2egz

Posted by Drew458     on 06/01/2008 at 09:43 AM   
Filed Under: • Insanity • Stoopid-People • UK •  
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