Conor Well, you snipped the bit where I said 'other things being equal'. Nonetheless, as a percentage, buttuming what you say is true, then yes, the percentage is dropping - but - the absolute number apparently isn't. So (very roughly speaking), the number of 'fiddled' HGVs per mile of road has remained constant - despite the improving anti-tamper technology in the time period.
Of course, there *could* be other reasons. The number of offenders could have gone up, and the efficiency of cathing them gone down - or vice versa. Fewer prosecutions may be being successful as various legal defence strategems are developed, and so on. The great thing about statistics is that they can usually be bent to mean whatever you want. It is, however, inescapable that some HGVs are tampered with to allow some dishonest drivers and operators to get away with breaking the law and possibly be a danger to themselves and others. Unfortunately the incentive to break the law is strong, as the dishonest operator can reduce costs (and therefore prices) and win more business compared to an honest operator.
What this boils down to is that reports of HGVs exceeding speed limiter set speeds, and the speed limit *on the flat* are not always wrong. At least some HGVs can and do do this, and what we are then arguing over is the scale of this lawbreaking, and whether it is something to be bothered about, or just a storm in a tea-cup.
You are quite right in saying the UK would grind to a halt without HGVs to carry goods - but being an essential service doesn't give HGV drivers and operators carte-blanche to do as they like, and neither does it make them all angels to a man (or woman). I have seen instances of appalling driving of HGVs, and also far more instances of appalling driving of private cars, so nobody is perfect.
Regards,
Sid
