National servicemen to get seats and safety belts on personnel transport trucks

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The Finnish Defence Forces is to improve safety on their personnel transport trucks to comply with an amendment to the law on military vehicles. The amendment states, among other things, that military trucks and all-terrain vehicles are to be equipped with firmly fixed seats for every passenger.
      The Defence Forces Materiel Command in Tampere has already commenced preparations for supplying the trucks with seats. The transition period lasts until the spring of 2008.
     
Colonel Tatu Juurtti of the Defence Forces Materiel Command explains that the alteration applies to hundreds of trucks, even if just some of the military vehicles were to be fitted with fixed seats on their loading platforms.
      "Maybe one third of our trucks could be fitted with seats on the platforms, leaving some space for supplies as well", Juurtti ponders.
      "The aim, however, is to use buses for longer transports of men."
      The Ministry of Defence amendment, which is in accordance with recent EU directives, also stipulates for example that the tyres of trucks used in personnel transports are to be fitted with anti-skid devices. The cost involved here could run into the millions of euros, if all trucks must be equipped with a second set of studded tyres for the coming winter.


Links:
  The Defence Forces Equipment - All-terrain Vehicle (ATV)

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