The Commons Transport Committee has reported that the number of foreign goods vehicles and buses not complying with the UK's safety standards is too high, which is increasing the chances of them being involved in a lorry or bus accident on the UK’s roads.

There are calls for the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) to be given more powers and resources to get unsafe foreign vehicles off the UK's roads.

The number of foreign vehicles stopped with dangerous defects was almost 47%; this is almost 10% more than their British counterparts.

The report states that VOSA requires more access to ports to prevent dangerous vehicles and drivers entering the UK in the first place.

Data sharing across European countries will be crucial to make rogue operators accountable across Europe, and stop dangerous vehicles from operating.

Loopholes in licensing rules for coaches and buses, where PSV licenses are transferred between vehicles are also risking passenger safety.

Many HGV trailers are in a shocking state of repair and are road accidents waiting to happen.

Likewise, excessive driving hours put drivers at risk of falling asleep behind the wheel and increase their chances of causing a road accident.

During 2007/08 the HGV prohibition rate for Czech vehicles was over 60% for those given roadworthiness tests, closely followed by Polish and Hungarian vehicles at 50%, then German and Italian vehicles at over 40%, with UK vehicles at 37.5%.

In 2008 there were 1.67 million foreign registered vehicles in the UK.