On Thursday at 11.00, road police from the Polish lake district town of Olsztyn were called to the scene of an accident caused by a HGV crashing into a car and a set of traffic lights.
In a statement, the police said the accident was a result of the HGV driver not adapting the speed of his vehicle to the prevailing traffic conditions. Fortunately, nobody was hurt.
The 53-year-old man who was driving the HGV told officers that another person was actually behind the wheel at the time of the incident. However, the police says recordings from CCTV show otherwise.
As the police statement reads, it “turned out that the 57-year-old had reasons to try to mislead officers”. The driver was listed in a police database as a person without a valid driving license; he did have one previously, but it was revoked in 2010 for drunk driving.
Following the accident, the lorry was towed away and secured in a police parking lot.
In addition, road transport inspectors took the opportunity to inspect the truck and its tachograph. During the check, officers discovered that the driver had been using two tachograph cards – including one that had expired. In addition, the driver had not completed any of the of compulsory HGV driver training, nor had he any medical certificate confirming he was fit to work as a driver.
The driver was held responsible for the accident and has been charged with driving a HGV without a licence. The police are also to initiative separate administrative proceedings regarding the tachograph violations.
Photo: Warmińsko-Mazurska Policja