Thousands of Britons use their phones while driving — but these 17 foreigners are the real problem
There’s quite a lot happening in the world right now. Donald Trump is chasing Hillary Clinton in the polls, Iraqi troops are pushing into Mosul, inflation is climbing and Michael Heseltine may or may not be a dog murderer.
Yet today, the Mail front page features nine ‘foreign truckers’ using mobile phones in the cabs of their vehicles.
‘Madness!’ the headline read. ‘As Polish lorry driver is jailed for killing a family while on his mobile, we catch SEVENTEEN foreign truckers using their phones at 50mph. The law MUST be toughened.’
Of course, road safety is a serious matter, as is dangerous phone use by the drivers of heavy duty vehicles. However, as the Mail itself has pointed out, hundreds of thousands of motorists use their phones while driving each year — it’s not clear why these 17 foreign ones are a particular cause for concern.
Well actually, it is clear. Earlier this week, a Polish truck driver was convicted of dangerous driving, and the Mail spied an opportunity to spread fear and hatred of foreigners.
Of course, that’s repugnant in itself, but it also devalues one of the Mail’s only non-despicable causes.
In September, the paper launched a campaign against drivers using mobiles behind the wheel, calling for stiffer deterrents to combat the ‘epidemic’ of dangerous phone use. For once, a group who actually deserved it was getting the ‘sidebar of shame’ treatment.
Unfortunately, it’s taken less than two months for the tabloid to prove that far from being a noble effort, this campaign — like all the others — is simply a front for paper-selling, profit-making xenophobia.
What more did we expect?
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13 Responses to “MADNESS! Daily Mail cheapens road safety campaign with tirade against ‘foreign truckers’”
Dr Evil
I have nearly been wiped out on the A14 twice by continental left hand drive heavy trucks. It’s not just distractions that are a problem it’s the drivers not being able to see cars clearly when they are driving on the left. Anything else just compounds this.
Mick
Indeed.
Also, as lefties clearly miss in their indignation, foreign driving safety standards can be WILDLY variable. Why on earth, then, do foreign doctors need to take their tests again when they come here?? (And of course, when they do, the left whinge and bitch again. Clearly, it’s grizzling for its own sake.)
So when danger drivers pour down the Chunnel – as if we’ve not enough of our own – how is it NOT news? Still, it gives the Left an opportunity for another nice whine. And me to comment on it.
Mick
“Why on earth, then, do foreign doctors need to take their tests again when they come here?? ”
CLARIFICATION: That means medical exams, all all standards are variable abroad. Nurses have to do this too.
Bert
“when danger drivers pour down the Chunnel – as if we’ve not enough of our own – how is it NOT news?”
Well, given that drivers have been coming to Britain from the continent since the invention of the cross-Channel ferry, has is it still news today? Is it because they’re “pouring” into the country now? And, hey, doesn’t the “driving on different sides” thing mean that we’re also “pouring” hundreds of our own “danger drivers” into Europe? Show me the statistics that show European drivers are more dangerous and cause more accidents and fatalities, and then we can talk. Until then, I’ll just assume that your banging on about “foreigners” and “lefties” is the usual substance-free bollocks from people who get all agitated at the first whiff of a different accent.
Fred
Bert.
Here you are. Taken from Wikipedia “List of countries by traffic-related death rate”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate
Poland 10.3
Greece 9.1
Italy 6.1
France 5.1
Spain 3.7
UK 2.9
In other words, you’re nearly 3.5 times more likely to die on the road in Poland.