Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2010/10/01/dvd_trucker/

Trucker pulled with DVD and laptop on dashboard

Cops unimpressed by high-tech accessories

By Lester Haines

Posted in Bootnotes, 1st October 2010 11:12 GMT

Central Scotland Police have expressed their incredulity at a trucker who was happily making his way from Aberdeen to Dover with a DVD player and laptop on his Hungarian vehicle's dashboard.

The well-equipped driver was pulled by road policing unit operatives at Craigforth weighbridge on 21 September, the Telegraph explains, and only allowed to proceed "once the problem was rectified".

Road policing unit top cop, chief inspector Donald McMillan, incredulated: "It is incredible to think that any professional driver would put things in place which would obscure his vision. Driving is their livelihood and they should know better than to put themselves - and other road users - at risk.

"It is not acceptable that a professional driver would behave in such a manner."

McMillan explained that a key to collision avoidance is not having stuff like DVDs and laptops blocking your view of the road. He said: "The best way to avoid being involved in a collision, or being caught by my officers, is to be fully aware of the circumstance in and around your vehicle and part of that is to have a clear vision."

The offending lorry's safety was also compromised by a "seriously under-inflated tyre", the Telegraph notes. ®