German Minister wants drivers’ hours rules to apply to van drivers too

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Following a significant increase in fatal accidents involving small vans up to 3.5 tons, Schleswig-Holstein’s Interior Minister, Sabine Sütterlin-Waack (CDU), has advocated the introduction of driving and rest times for parcel services.


The Road Safety Report for Schleswig-Holstein in 2020 shows that overall, significantly fewer people were harmed on the region’s roads compared to 2019. The police recorded 79,822 accidents in 2020, which is 13.5% percent fewer than the previous year. Unfortunately, the number of road deaths increased.

What is noteworthy here is the disproportionate share (48.3%) of vans up to 3.5 tons in the 2,200 accidents involving goods vehicles. It is also important to observe the increase in fatal accidents in which vans were involved, which went up from 12 to 32. In addition, vehicles in this class caused more than one in three accidents resulting in personal injury.

As a result of these numbers, Sabine Sütterlin-Waack has said driving and rest times should also apply to van drivers:

“It is now time that the driving and rest period rules for trucks also apply to small vans,” she said during the presentation of the report in Kiel.


Photo credit: Pixabay

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