According to a traffic forecast by the Federal Ministry of Transport, freight and passenger traffic will increase by 39 and 13 percent respectively by 2030. The ever-increasing number of people on the roads has one common goal: to arrive safely. This is why the NRW police carry out regular checks.
This was also the case on Wednesday, April 17. On this day, the Mönchengladbach police - together with the federal police, mags and the Consumer Protection and Animal Health Department of the city of Mönchengladbach - once again took part in the nationwide road safety campaign "sicher.mobil.leben." participated. This year, the focus was on commercial passenger and goods traffic.
The 23 inspectors stopped 87 vehicles, including twelve cars, 47 vans and 28 trucks. They punished a total of 17 infringements. On four occasions, for example, they issued warnings because the vehicles were overloaded. For safe driving, it is important to adhere to the specified limits. The officers also wrote two reports for violations of the Freight Transportation Act. On six occasions, the drivers had not complied with social regulations such as driving and rest periods and their documentation. One driver was driving without a license.
In addition to the checks, traffic accident prevention measures were also implemented. Police officers explained the dangers of the "blind spot" and distributed illustrative brochures on this topic.
Specially trained officers from the Federal Police checked the drivers' foreign documents, such as ID cards, residence permits and vehicle licenses. There was nothing to complain about in this regard.
Mags employees checked waste carriers, in particular mobile scrap collectors. These require a transport permit for hazardous loads such as oils or batteries. In addition, dealers must notify the lower waste authority that they intend to collect scrap metal. The mags found four violations of waste legislation, which resulted in the drivers being charged with administrative offenses.
During their inspections, experts from the Consumer Protection and Animal Health department ensured that food and other goods such as cosmetics, tobacco and clothing were being transported correctly. This was not the case on two occasions. There were reports of administrative offenses because the cold chain was not maintained for foodstuffs requiring refrigeration. For example, one driver transported chicken meat without refrigeration. The food had to be destroyed.
The aim of the transport campaign sicher.mobil.leben changes every year. While the focus in 2022 was on "fitness to drive", the motto in 2023 was "Consideration in view".