Taxi Driver Online

Mum in plea for tougher rules on reporting a crash

6:00am Wednesday 17th March 2010

A Worcester mum is calling for stricter rules for coach companies responsible for school contracts after a crash involving her car and a minibus was not reported to the council.

Joanne Tew is set to receive an insurance payout after the company involved accepted liability 18 months after the accident.

Miss Tew was travelling with her nine-year-old son in November 2008 when a Crown Coaches minibus crashed into the back of her Nissan Micra, writing off the £3,000 car.

The 37-year-old and her son both suffered whiplash in the incident, which happened at the junction of Broadway Grove and the A44 in St John’s, Worcester.

Crown Coaches, which has Worcestershire County Council contracts with schools and care homes, did not report the accident to the council as the driver was doing private hire work at the time.

However, Miss Tew, of Harrington Road, St John’s, thinks the council should be notified when any of their contractors are involved in accidents.

She said: “Why would a company report an accident to the council when they can just say they were doing private hire work at the time?

“They are driving children and other vulnerable people, so the council should be informed when there is any type of accident – whether it happens on a private hire job or a council contract.”

A Worcestershire County Council spokesman said it had no record of the accident in November 2008 as it did not happen while undertaking work on one of its contracts.

The spokesman said: “This would appear to be a private matter between Miss Tew, her insurers and Crown Coaches. As such, there is no requirement for us to be notified by operators of incidents not related to work undertaken on behalf of the county council.”

Following a Freedom of Information Act request by your Worcester News, the council spokesman confirmed that since June 2008, no accidents had been reported by companies operating school contracts.

A spokesman for Crown Coaches, which is based at Crown Auto Park, Midland Road, Worcester, said: “The matter has been sorted out between the two insurance companies.

“The incident occurred on a private hire job, so there was no need to inform the county council.”

Source; WorcesterNews.co.uk

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Brummie Cabbie.

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If the coach was not on a school contract or a licenced PH/hackney why would they report the accident to the council ? surely the insurance and the police are the only ones who need to be notified ?

I agree....its nowt to do with the council...maybe Mum sniffed a Compensation claim in the air..

If that bus is used for council contracts, the council should be informed, even if the accident happened between contracts, the council has a duty to make sure the vehicle is road worthy to carry out the contract, or they wont have a leg to stand on if anything happens due to any damage

Maybe not....I thought it was only LA licenced PH and Taxis that had to report any accidents under their licensing contracts.

This guys a VOSA operator...so unless it was on a school or a council run its bugger all to do with any council..

I take it that this is the law according to Skippy.
The council have said there is no requirement for them to be informed. There is no sugestion that the bus was used in an unsafe condition is there?

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Grandad,

What a stupid story

WTF has it got to do with a council about a bus which wasnt doing one of their contracts at the time?

Silly moo.

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

No just common sense

How is the council responsible Skip?

Why won't they have a leg to stand on?

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

The council has a responsibility to ensure the vehicles that they issue contracts to are fit for purpose and are road worthy.
Even though they come under VOSA all service documents should be readily available

How are they do do that 24/7?

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

And they will be available. Buses and coaches are subject to far more stringent testing than taxis and PH and If a coach was badly damaged it would be taken off the road by the operator until fixed. If an operator was stupid enough to continue to operate a vehicle that was in a dangerous condition he would soon get reported.

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Grandad,

On a bit of a tangent here...but I was watching TV last night and the police ANPR stopped a small car tranporter with a brand new car on the back..the transporter vehicle didnt have insurance so would have been impounded...would the new car on the back be impounded to or not?

I would have thought the owners of the vehicle would have to arrange its collection