“Prospective customers can be assured that, if they contract to use the services of a member, they will receive a quality-assured, professional service”

Leading players in the driver risk management and fleet driver training industries have re-launched and reestablished the Fleet Safety Association, which aims to be the cohesive, authoritative voice of the industry on all matters concerning the well-being of those who drive in the course of their work.

Collectively the Association aims to promote the need for employers to adopt effective risk management programmes for occupational drivers, which in turn will assist those organisations with their duty-of-care compliance. The Association also offers prospective customers the reassurance that its members will adhere to agreed quality standards and supply them with accurate, consistent guidance in the discharge of their duties to clients. The organisation’s 11-point “Code of Professional Practice” is viewed as the crucial differentiator between members and non-members. In addition, the Association will take the views of corporate driving risk management companies to government and other organisations and provide a forum for the exchange of best practice amongst its members.

RoadSafe is providing secretarial support to the Association and Adrian Walsh, RoadSafe director and secretary to the revitalised Association, says: “Most of the leading companies in the sector have pledged support and we expect this to gain momentum quickly once the word is out that we are now an established trade association with a fresh agenda.

“We have a new code of conduct and a clear set of objectives. With an established, impartial secretariat, and a respected interim chairman in Driving Services’ managing director Doug Jenkins, I now believe that we have a robust, cohesive entity that speaks as one. “Prospective customers can be assured that, if they contract to use the services of a member, they will receive a quality-assured, professional service, delivered by people who fully understand their customers’ needs.” The executive committee of the Association comprises: Doug Jenkins (Driving Services), Charles Davis (RoSPA), Graham Hurdle (Pro-Drive), John Harley (Active Risk Management) and Paul Jobson (IAM Fleet). Robin Cummins (BSM) and Steve Johnson (Drive & Survive) were co-opted as advisers.

Anybody wishing to join or find out more about the Fleet Safety Association should contact the secretariat on 020 7344 9236 or consult the newly developed website: www.fleetsafetyassociation.co.uk

New advanced test sets benchmark for business drivers
The first advanced driving test purely for business drivers has been launched by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and DriveTech (UK) in an effort to cut deaths and injuries on Britain’s roads. ROADTest is specifically aimed at slashing the number of crashes involving people who drive as part of their job – particularly company car and van drivers, who have accident rates 35-50% higher than private drivers. Between 800 and 1,000 deaths in Britain each year are linked to people being on the road for work purposes, making it the country’s biggest occupational health and safety problem. Those covering 25,000 miles a year are as likely to be killed as people in widely recognised high-risk jobs such as construction and quarrying. Advanced drivers, however, have been shown to be around 25% less likely to be involved in a crash.

ROADTest – the RoSPA Occupational Advanced Driving Test – will, say the two organisations, set the benchmark for “at work” driving. It is the first training programme to offer a recognised qualification that acknowledges the reality of driving for work purposes. As well as demonstrating outstanding driving skills, candidates will have to prove their knowledge of key occupational road-risk issues such as journey plans, safe speeds, fatigue, drink and drugs, mobile phone use, posture, seat support and head restraints and storing equipment – one of the key differences to advanced driving tests already offered from RoSPA, IAM and DIAmond.

Charles Davis, RoSPA’s head of driver and fleet solutions, says: “This test is set to become the national standard for business drivers. It has been developed with input from RoSPA and DriveTech (UK) customers to provide a hazard perception assessment together with a theory and practical test leading to a qualification that will be recognised and respected by anyone who employs company drivers.” Successful drivers will receive a certificate valid for three years and they can also apply to have their qualification upgraded to BTEC accredited by applying to Edexcel.

Andy Wheeler, director of training at DriveTech (UK), says: “A specific test has long been needed for business drivers because of the high mileages they cover and the pressures they face to meet deadlines when out on the road. Companies who ask their drivers to take the test will benefit from having a safer and more efficient fleet.”

“Drivers are more likely to blame chance or bad luck if the only training they've ever had is those early driving lessons”

Advanced driver coaching stops drivers playing crash “blame game”
Motorists who rely on their basic L-test as a motoring “passport for life” are more likely to blame others when they are involved in incidents or minor accidents, according to a new study by Brunel University. However, nearly 70% of drivers who received advanced coaching showed significantly safer skills in a number of key areas, including cornering, gear changing, safe distances, use of mirrors and speed, according to the scientific comparison of normal and advanced drivers. Previous research has shown that drivers who regularly blame others for near-misses instead of taking responsibility for their own part in such incidents are more likely to be involved in fatal road accidents.

The Brunel study, carried out by Prof Neville Stanton and Dr Guy Walker, showed that drivers who improved their abilities behind the wheel were less likely to “play the blame game” and more likely to read the road and expect the unexpected. The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) commissioned the study to examine whether advanced coaching could be proven to change drivers’ attitudes, skills and knowledge. Peter Rodger, IAM chief examiner, says: “This research shows that motorists who think that simply accumulating years of experience on the road is enough to improve their driving are wrong. What makes the difference is having extra coaching, just as in any other activity.

“Drivers are more likely to blame chance or bad luck if the only training they’ve ever had is those early driving lessons. But they’re more likely to take responsibility for avoiding and responding to incidents if they’ve taken the trouble to try to improve their skills later in life.” Prof Stanton says: “This is the first research of its kind and the results are telling. The performance of those who did not receive coaching was erratic, but those who were coached showed marked improvements in the three main areas of driving – skills, knowledge and attitude. These three skills are interdependent – when all three are improved, a driver is likely to be safer.”

Profitability and employee motivation is the key to road safety success
The fleet industry must demonstrate a link between fleet safety and profitability to gain buy-in at board level, as the implications of corporate manslaughter and liability fail to strike a chord.

“Drivers will always make errors, but local authorities should work to make sure that these blunders do not lead to the severest consequences”

This should be supported by incentivising employees in order to harness a culture of safety and accountability within business, according to the Fleet Progression Forum, which is a cross-industry body founded by FMG Support dedicated to championing key issues and challenges within the fleet industry to drive positive and actionable change. Members of the Forum believe that the fleet industry must be responsible for delivering the implications of fleet safety onto the boardroom table. While many companies realise the importance of health and safety, the majority associate it with actions in the workplace such as fire and machinery-based incidents; they view the use of vehicles as a personal activity rather than business-related. The Forum also believes that this is compounded by a lack of tangible messages that would gain buy-in at a senior level within organisations.

This, says the Forum, has led to a state of apathy and lack of willingness to invest in a fleet safety solution that goes beyond driver training and on-line assessment tools that deliver basic legislative compliance, but do not reduce incidents or create a safer working environment. The Forum believes that fleet managers must demonstrate a financial correlation between safety and profitability. It says that an organisation that invests in a robust fleet safety solution will generate more profits due to a decrease in incidents and lower insurance premiums. In turn, that must be supported by an internal scheme that incentivises employees and motivates them to accept safety at the heart of corporate culture.

The Forum also agreed that any safety solution must be grounded in real-time data that continuously monitors the daily actions of fleets and is linked to, and developed in line with, existing health, safety and environmental policies. It must also include the creation of individual driver profiles with regular driver checks and driver training. Most importantly, the data that is generated must be consistently analysed and fed back into the safety policy so that continual improvements can be made driving down incidents and improving profitability.

FMG Support is the UK’s largest independent fleet performance improvement company and chief executive and Forum founder Nick Brown says: “The fleet industry must take responsibility for delivering the message that tangibly proves to decision makers the financial benefits of investing in a rigorous safety solution.

“This is the only way to ensure that the issue of fleet safety strikes a chord with chief executives and financial directors; the reality is that the message relating to corporate manslaughter and liability is not hitting home. This must also be supported by an internal programme of activity that motivates employees to take safety seriously; we want good safety practice to be seen as second nature.”

There’s more to road safety than just blaming drivers, says AA Motoring Trust
A greater focus on highway engineering is essential to reduce road traffic crashes, according to the AA Motoring Trust, a member of the European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP). Road improvements at crash blackspots have always been a key part of the EuroRAP initiative and, as RoadSafe has frequently reported, the number of accidents has reduced as a direct result. But, now the AA Motoring Trust says that a belief among nearly two-thirds of UK motorists that driver errors are most to blame for death and serious injury in crashes lets road authorities, that need to spend more making roads between towns and cities more “forgiving”, off the hook.

Drivers will always make errors, but local authorities should work to make sure that these blunders do not lead to the severest consequences, says the AA Motoring Trust. In many accidents, it says, drivers and passengers may have survived had the layout and design of roads been more able to reduce the impact of driver mistakes. As a consequence the AA Motoring Trust believes that road safety now needs a greater shift of emphasis on to better highway engineering. While most crashes stem from driver error, national safety strategies across Europe show that safer design and layout of the road itself would do most to reduce the rate of death and serious injury.

According to EuroRAP research, 65% of people in Britain believe that investing in safer driver behaviour would produce the greatest return in reduced casualties. This compares with 20% who see safer road design as the way forward and 15% who prefer safer cars. But, says the AA Motoring Trust, in reality, scientific research shows that road engineering measures, like safety barriers and improved junctions, and speed management measures, like traffic calming and speed limits, have the potential to reduce road casualties in Sweden by 59%, in Holland by 50% and the UK by 44%. In Britain, a further 35% reduction could be achieved by safer vehicles, 16% by safer driver behaviour and 5% through other measures like child safety projects.

Paul Watters, head of roads and transport policy for the AA Motoring Trust, said: “Just because drivers, who are unfamiliar with a notoriously dangerous road, mistakenly take corners too fast and crash doesn’t mean they deserve to die or be severely injured – particularly if they hit, for instance, a lamppost or road sign that better design would have shielded behind a crash barrier. “Perpetuating the notion that drivers are their own worst enemies, and need to be controlled through strict enforcement, is often a convenient over-simplification that saves money, but not lives. By all means, keep the pressure up on drivers to improve their behaviour, but not to the extent of failing to invest in life-saving road design and maintenance.”

ACFO launches at-work driving health and safety CD-ROM policy guide for fleets
The ultimate free self-help guide to producing a comprehensive occupational road risk health and safety strategy has been launched by ACFO, the leading UK representative body for fleet operators. Managing occupational road risk has consistently been highlighted as the number one issue facing fleet operators and the CD-ROM enables all member organisations to compile or check their own fleet health and safety policy to cover their own unique operational circumstances.

ACFO maintains that no one policy fits all so the CD-ROM is designed to provide specimen policies for virtually any fleet. The CD-ROM, called Fleet Road Risk Policy Templates, contains 20 at-work driving policy documents which were contributed by ACFO members. Those who contributed operated between 25 and 2,500 cars and light commercial vehicles in industry sectors as diverse as telecoms, charity, property and pharmaceuticals. There are specific sections that address vans, as well as cars.

Contract hire and leasing company ALD Automotive, Honda, Kwik-Fit Fleet and independent insurance advisers Randall Butcher Jones jointly sponsored the CD-ROM. ACFO’s move comes as the industry continues to respond to increased pressure to improve road safety, with specific government interest to reduce the road casualty toll. Importantly, fleets also face increased risks of civil claims for compensation, from those injured by an at-work employee while driving on company business. ACFO says it is essential that all fleet operators have a written policy statement, issued to all employees who use the roads on company business, to spell out the rights and responsibilities of drivers. Key aspects which must be covered include the banning of the use of handheld mobile phones, controlling time spent behind the wheel, not driving if under the influence of alcohol or drugs (including many medicines), and driver licence checks. ACFO director Stewart Whyte, who helped to compile the CD-ROM, says: “Many organisations are aware that they should have a ‘live’ health and safety policy in place relating to at-work driving. But they are often unsure where or how to start; or exactly what to include in the policy. This is particularly true among fleet decision-makers who are new to the job or perhaps have only limited experience of the overall fleet environment. “ACFO’s CD-ROM provides an easily-accessible range of real-world policies covering drivers, vehicles and journeys. The policies included are very different in their depth, range and scope, but there is something in each of them for all fleet operators in the country, irrespective of the industry sector in which their business operates.”

Fleet operators wishing to join ACFO and obtain a copy of the CD-ROM should e-mail: info@acfo.org

“Since 2001, and with the European Road Safety Action Programme adopted in 2003, the EU has helped to put road safety at the top of the agenda of the member states' political concerns”

Nations must do more to improve road safety, says EC
An increase focus on road safety must take place at both a national and European level if the target of halving the number of road deaths across the continent is to be achieved by 2010. That is the conclusion by the European Commission of an analysis of the efforts made in the European Union since 2001 on road safety. While it says that considerable progress has been made – Malta, the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and Finland lead the way in terms of the annual number of victims per million inhabitants and per million private cars compared with the European average – it is still not enough. In 2005, there were 8,000 fewer road deaths in member states than in 2001, but the EC highlights Poland, Portugal, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Cyprus and the Czech Republic as the countries where most focus must be paid. Since 2001 and with the European Road Safety Action Programme adopted in 2003, the European Union has helped to put road safety at the top of the agenda of the member states’ political concerns. Several member states, which had not yet done so, have now adopted national road safety plans, often taking over the common target of halving the number of road accident victims.

The principal figures in the mid-term analysis are:

• In 2001, 50,000 people were killed on the roads in the countries which today make up the European Union. The joint target proposed in 2001 and updated after enlargement in 2004 is that by 2010 there should be no more than 25,000 fatalities a year. The figures for 2005 show there were about 41,600 road deaths, a fall of 17.5% over four years. At the present rate, there are likely to be 32,500 road deaths in the EU in 2010.
• There are big differences between member states: the gap between the best and the worst performers is within a range of one to three (in terms of the number of road deaths per million inhabitants) and one to five (in terms of the number of road deaths per million private cars).
• Between 2001 and 2004, the number of road deaths fell by more than 14% in nine member states (Germany, Estonia, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden). In eight others (Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Spain, Ireland, Austria, Finland and the UK) there was some progress (a fall of at least 5%, but equal to or less than the average). In another eight (Czech Republic, Latvia, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Cyprus and Lithuania), there was slow progress or even a backward trend.

In a bid to further reduce road accidents, the EC’s latest focus is on reducing driving licence fraud and improving the skills and hence the safety of motorcyclists. In absolute terms, the number of motorcyclists killed rose between 2000 and 2003, while the total number of road deaths fell. In the UK one in six deaths on the roads is a motorcyclist, but they account for only 1% of travel.

“On average, roads are being resurfaced every 56 years, with engineers predicting over 10 years’ work is needed to clear the maintenance backlog”

Road safety threatened by crumbling road network
Highways engineers across England are fighting a losing battle to keep the nation’s roads fit for purpose thereby undermining road safety.

The 2006 Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) Survey highlights a staggering £1.6bn shortfall in local authority road structural maintenance budgets across the country. The report identifies that England’s local authority highway engineers are getting just 32% of the budget they say they need to maintain local authority roads, and this despite an average increase of £6.7m per authority in 2005/06. However, that increase, says the report, doesn’t address the decades of under-investment, and additional funds for structural maintenance are being siphoned off for reactive maintenance.

The engineers say that maintenance budgets are woefully inadequate and that they are simply “patching-up” roads and then not even keeping pace with the increasing demands placed on the network. On average, roads are being resurfaced every 56 years, with engineers predicting, even given sufficient funds, over 10 years’ work is needed to clear the maintenance backlog. Highways engineers report that the inconsistency in funding, and its vulnerability to “poaching” by more politically attractive directorates, such as health and social security, exacerbates the difficulty in long-term planning. Ironically, engineers have increasingly robust, technically gathered data and asset management skills which show the overwhelming case for more investment.

Jim Crick, chairman of the Asphalt Industry Alliance, which produced the report, says: “Unless we start getting a proper grip of road maintenance in England right now, we will stack up even more serious problems for the future. Today’s patch and mend mentality is a very poor use of funding and it is failing to address the underlying maintenance issues facing us. “If local authorities fail to take up the challenge there is likely to be a heavy price to pay, not just to catch up with the maintenance programme, but for businesses, communities and the environment, not to mention implications for safety.” The Freight Transport Association (FTA) says it remains concerned at the lack of forward thinking in the approach to road maintenance by local authorities.

Malcolm Bingham, FTA head of road network policy, says: “We have long argued that road users would be better served with a long-term asset management approach to road maintenance. Far too often we hear of local highway authorities’ funding being diverted either to other local spending priorities with more vote-catching attractions, or just to cope with the growing claims being made against them by road users suffering from damage to vehicles caused by potholes or other road maintenance failures. These claims now run into millions of pounds each year, resulting in a shortfall in the highway engineer’s budget. “It is high time that local government recognised both the economic and road safety needs to devote sufficient funds and commitment to ensure that these roads are properly maintained – this is 2006, not 1906.”

“The vast majority of operators of small fleets were falling short of even basic requirements”

Small fleets fail to implement road risk strategies
Decision-makers in charge of medium and large fleets are getting to grips with managing occupational road risk, but those in charge of smaller fleets have a significant journey to make.

That is the main conclusion from an exhaustive on-line at-work driving safety survey conducted by fleet software and occupational road safety experts Jaama. More than 2,200 companies operating fleets of more than five vehicles responded to the survey throughout 2005 with those taking part including managing directors, finance directors and HR managers as well as fleet operators. It is believed to be one of the largest-ever road safety surveys yet carried out. Jaama managing director Jason Francis says: “With the significant amount of road safety publicity during 2005, this research shows that, although there is still a huge lack of awareness amongst smaller fleets, duty of care awareness is improving.”

But, with a new Road Safety Bill due to reach the statute book shortly and a Corporate Manslaughter Bill also making its way through Parliament, fleets that have yet to put comprehensive road risk management strategies in place must act.

With government, the police and the Health and Safety Executive all focused on a united approach to reduce the number of road crashes involving at-work drivers, Mr Francis said: “Our research concluded that larger fleets and those that have regular access to fleet information were reasonably well informed and generally had good policies in place. However, the vast majority of operators of small fleets – 90% of the respondents operated sub-200 vehicle fleets – were falling short of even basic requirements and it is this sector that we must educate further.”

By tracking the responses Jaama discovered that early last year 23% of companies were unaware of the HSE’s 24- page guide – Driving at work: Managing Work-Related Road Safety – which outlines the steps all companies should take, irrespective of fleet size, to implement a robust occupational road risk strategy. However, by the end of last year that figure had dropped to one-in-five businesses out of a substantially increased number of respondents. Worryingly, the survey discovered that at the end of last year, 40% of the respondents were aware of the HSE’s guidelines, but had still not implemented a policy.

The survey also discovered that 15% of companies continued not to check employee driving licences and three-quarters of fleets did not monitor drivers’ hours. A further area of concern is that many businesses that allow their staff to drive their own vehicles on work-related journeys do not undertake basic checks as advised by the HSE. These include the checking of MoT certificates on vehicles over three years old, that cars are insured for business use and vehicles are in a roadworthy condition. Mr Francis explains: “While our survey shows that many more companies have implemented road safety strategies during the course of last year, it also shows that many businesses still have a long way to go in ensuring compliance with HSE best practice and the law.”

New risk management company promotes self-insurance to SMEs
Small and medium-sized fleets can reduce their insurance costs by adopting the self-insure route favoured by many larger fleets and paying for accidents as they arise, according to a recently-launched risk management company. Stockport-based Up2U says that many smaller companies have shunned the self-insure approach worried about unlimited costs, legal complexities and perceived regulatory barriers, as well as having a misconception about the risks and a lack of information about available options. However, now the company has launched a new self-insurance service for fleets and says that companies can expect to save more than 20% compared with conventional insurance. Additionally, it promises that insurance premiums will not go up annually if a fleet has a poor claims’ history, unlike conventional insurance.

Michael Harvey, marketing director of Up2U Group, says that traditional insurance insulates drivers from poor motoring, whereas self-insurance provides a financial motivation to better driving. With many SMEs lagging behind in promoting occupational road safety, Mr Harvey said: “Self-insurance will make fleets acutely aware of their claims costs. “We are educating the fleet market that there is an innovative alternative to paying annual insurance premiums. Insurers control the market and prefer to offer the more profitable product for them. Our margins are miniscule compared to an insurers, but Up2U expects to get a good share of what is likely to remain a niche market, and to prosper through volume.” Self-insuring with Up2U sees companies agree a “risk threshold” based on the fleet’s appetite for risk and their credit status, which limits third-party liability. Up to the agreed limit the fleet pays, over the limit Up2U pays. The lowest thresholds – £10,000-£25,000 – are only available to fleets that do not operate HGVs.

If the fleet’s vehicles are involved in a crash, Up2U will sort out recovery, repairs, vehicle hire, legal services and related issues at, says the company, prices lower than those normally paid by traditional insurance companies. All accident costs are met by the fleet as they arise. Up2U says its service, which is available through brokers, offers savings with no Insurance Premium Tax charge (5%) and no Motor Insurance Bureau levy “hidden” in annual premiums – “around 10%”.

Mr Harvey says such savings, coupled with no annual insurance premiums and Up2U’s claims handling service can result in savings of more than 20% compared with conventional insurance. He says: “Bigger fleets have had the resources to research this option and find the savings themselves.”

He calculates that for a fleet of 100 “standard vehicles” with the company self-insuring the first £100,000 of accident costs, payments of around £20,000 can be expected for third-party damages and injury claims; £10,000 for repairs to damage to own vehicles and £15,000 for Up2U’s service – a total of £45,000. With Up2U calculating that conventional insurance for such a fleet costs an estimated £60,000, the company claims a £15,000 saving equivalent to 25% of insurance costs.

Fleets put themselves at risk with glaring road risk failings
Many fleets are paying lip service to managing their occupational road risk responsibilities, according to the findings of a survey by contract and leasing company ALD Automotive. Despite fleet decision-makers for several years ranking the management of occupational road risk as their number one priority, 66 (41%) of the 161 companies surveyed said they still had not undertaken a risk assessment of their at-work driving activities, while 10 didn’t know. The answers were gleaned from an on-line “health check” responded to by a cross section of ALD Automotive’s customers and prospects, who collectively operated a total of 40,000 vehicles in the UK.

With a risk assessment forming the springboard for putting in place a series of measures to improve corporate crash records it is hardly surprising, says ALD Automotive, that many fleets could find themselves at the centre of police and Health and Safety Executive investigations following a serious accident involving an employee. James Sutherland, managing director at Peak Performance, ALD’s risk management partner, says companies should ensure they were meeting their duty-of-care obligations and laying down a clear audit trail to provide evidence that they are doing so if they want to avoid the risk of future prosecutions.

He says: “The measures that companies need to put in place to ensure they meet their obligations to employees who drive for work are not onerous. But, as the survey shows, a significant number of companies are still burying their heads in the sand over this important issue.”

The survey revealed that:

• 33% of respondents (54 companies) did not check the driving licences/driving history of new drivers prior to employment
• 53% of companies did not undertake eyesight/medical checks on drivers with, 76 companies (47%) saying they do
• Almost a quarter (37 companies) did not keep a record of their drivers’ motoring offences
• 20% of companies (32) did not have any record of their drivers’ business mileage, but three-quarters of companies did
• A third of companies had no policy on driver hours and fatigue
• Almost 20% of companies (30) admitted to not having in place a system for ensuring that vehicle maintenance schedules were kept up to date
• Almost 30% of companies (47) said they failed to ask their at-work drivers to carry out and record vehicle checks, whilst 70% were confident they did
• 63% of companies (102) had not carried out a risk assessment on specific driving tasks
• 61% of companies (99) failed to provide induction training for new drivers
• 68% of respondents (109 companies) did not have an on-going driver training programme

ALD Automotive marketing director David Yates says: “In the event of an accident and police investigations, companies must be able to show that their fleet is operated along health and safety best practice lines. Our survey reveals that many companies have significant gaps in their occupational road risk armoury.”

The on-line survey also revealed that the majority of companies are failing to complete post-crash investigations and put in place a range of preventative accident measures. The survey discovered that 141 companies (88%) kept details and reviewed accident records, but 20 organisations didn’t or were unsure whether they did. While the majority of companies have accident data, they fail to utilise the information to their advantage. For example:

• While 53% of companies reviewed accidents by type and fault to establish trends, over 40% of companies (66) didn’t, with 6% (nine companies) not knowing whether they did
• 58% of companies (93) said line managers did not conduct post-accident interviews with drivers, with one-third carrying them out and the remainder unsure
• 56% (90), said they did not have any strategy in place to prevent the reoccurrence of common accidents; 38% say they did with 6% unsure

Mr Yates says: “Post-accident investigation is a vital part of any comprehensive corporate occupational road risk strategy. By reducing the number of work-related crashes, companies will see a number of major spin-off benefits. These include fewer days lost to injury, a reduced risk of work-related ill-health, less need for investigation and paperwork, less lost time due to work rescheduling, fewer vehicles off the road for repair and fewer missed orders and business opportunities, so there is a reduced risk of losing the goodwill of customers.”

Fleet operators “massively exposed”, reveals Pro-Drive survey
Time after time, fleet decision-maker surveys highlight managing occupational road risk as the number one industry issue faced, but just as many surveys also spotlight major corporate failings in health and safety policies and procedures.

One of the most recent surveys from Pro-Drive, the Stafford-based fleet risk management and driver training specialist, revealed that:

• 5% of employees who drive their own car for business use are not properly insured and a further 2% do not know whether they have the necessary insurance cover
• 27% of staff driving on company business have never read their firm’s employee handbook, with 17% stating that they were not aware their company had one
• 56% of employees who drive on company business do not carry out sufficient vehicle checks, with 7% admitting they never check the condition or safety of their vehicle

Pro-Drive says the survey of 566 drivers who used its On-line Driver Profiling system shows that there remains a great deal to be done. Graham Hurdle, managing director of Pro-Drive, says: “Although we weren’t surprised at the issues, I think we were startled by the severity of them.

“From the work we do to help fleets safeguard themselves against prosecution and improve the safety of their employees, we were aware that there were weaknesses with regards to private cars being driven on company business, drivers not studying their company’s handbooks, and individuals being a bit sloppy with regards to regular vehicle checks.

“However, our statistics demonstrate that the situation is far worse than could ever have been imagined. Perhaps the most worrying figure of all is the percentage of drivers either uninsured or unaware as to whether they have the necessary insurance when using their own car for business. “In a climate where there has been an increasing number of drivers opting out of the company scheme, businesses need to be even more vigilant in ensuring they are not exposed to prosecution, and these statistics should be a stark warning to all fleet operators, who have not already done so, to introduce the necessary policies and procedures to protect themselves and their employees.”

“The most worrying figure of all is the percentage of drivers either uninsured or unaware if they have the necessary insurance when using their own car for business”

Fleets fail to keep illegal vehicle faults under control, says RAC
More than half of all fleet cars could be illegally on the road, with dangerous faults that would fail an MoT, according to figures from RAC. From nearly 3,000 actual inspections of one car fleet over four months, RAC found that 53% of vehicles, on average, were failing checks covering tyres, oil, coolant and screen wash. In one month alone, 65% of the fleet’s vehicles were being driven without adequate maintenance. But with a regular vehicle-checking programme, failure rates were reversed by almost 18% over the four-month period.

Another fleet using RAC’s vehicle inspection service – with 140 cars receiving an annual set of in-depth checks – had one or more faults on 90% of its vehicles. This included 11 illegal faults, eight dangerous faults and 31 MoT failures. Faulty brakes and steering constituted 8% and 6% respectively of the total. Adrian McCarthy, head of operations for RAC Inspections, says: “UK fleet managers should find these results alarming, as their own vehicles could currently be at risk of incurring high costs and scrutiny from the Health and Safety Executive. In addition, the government is now close to introducing an offence of corporate manslaughter. Under this legislation, it will be easier to prosecute companies where death has been caused by gross breaches of duty of care by its senior managers.”

He adds: “Driving with a low oil level could lead to a bill of at least £2,000 to replace an engine, while driving with under-inflated or worn tyres is illegal and affects braking distances – a potentially lethal situation. The vehicle problems identified by RAC’s inspection service apply equally to firms operating company cars, pool cars and driver-owned vehicles. The latter are of particular concern, as the onus is completely on the driver to carry out regular maintenance and ensure the car is serviced. McCarthy says: “I believe these figures are typical of most fleets, as the majority have no formal inspection programme in place and so potentially hazardous faults go unnoticed. The fleet we have analysed contains vehicles no more than 2.5 years old – which begs the question of how well fleets with much older cars are performing.”

“Almost half of drivers (49%) admitted to never having read the driver’s manual issued with their company car”

Driver safety tops fleet agenda, says survey
Safety concerns top the agendas of company car drivers and their managers, perhaps boosted by high-profile cases involving dangerous practices behind the wheel and the forthcoming introduction of corporate manslaughter legislation. The finding in GE Fleet Services quarterly “Company Car Trends” survey into the fleet industry shows that duty of care is regarded as the most crucial factor when constructing fleet policies, with some 95.5% of respondents insisting on its importance. That’s an increase of around 6%, year-on-year.

However, Rich Green, managing director of GE Fleet Services, says the focus on safety may not necessarily be a reaction to what’s happening, more a proactive move to reduce risks. He says: “With company car drivers around 50% more likely to be involved in road accidents, causing over 20 fatalities and 250 serious injuries every week, it seems that our respondents’ primary focus on duty of care issues is indicative of the fact that many companies have now recognised their responsibilities and appropriately integrated them into their fleet strategies.”

The survey, based upon the views of around 850 decision-makers, backs up Green’s view, with almost three-quarters (71%) of firms having a solution or being in the process of implementing a solution to manage their duty-of-care responsibilities.

Ford Transit joins Speedy to keep van drivers safe
The UK’s number one tool and equipment-hire company, Speedy Hire, has taken an initiative to keep its drivers safer – with the help of the UK’s number one van, the Ford Transit.

Ford of Britain presented Speedy with a Transit dropside to help kick-start the hire company’s new national training centre for drivers and other staff. The move ties in with Ford’s “Wise Van Man” safety campaign, launched last year (RoadSafe: winter 2005/6) through which the manufacturer is tackling negative perceptions of van drivers by offering retail customers free driver-training packages. Speedy’s initiative sees practical sessions carried out both on the road and at depots using the Transit 2.4 litre, 3.5 tonne extended-frame diesel dropside with tail-lift and towbar. The dedicated training vehicle enables drivers to study safe driving, loading, unloading and towing skills, as well as tachograph use and manoeuvring techniques. All Speedy Hire drivers undergo a two-day induction course at the Speedy Training Academy in Leeds. Currently training around 14 drivers a week, it hopes to offer courses to external trainees later in the year. The Transit typifies the type of commercial vehicle trainees are likely to drive, although Speedy Hire also has around 150 Ford Transit Connects and 60 Ranger pick-ups on its fleet. A Ford spokesman says: “We look forward to seeing more companies like Speedy Hire getting to grips with targeted in driver training.”

Speedy Hire’s group fleet director Ian Leonard says: “This industry suffers from having a high turnover of drivers, which makes it difficult to set standards on safety and other issues. We’re trying to establish some consistency by offering drivers a competitive package that includes proper training. We’re already seeing the drivers responding very positively to this initiative.”

“Carrying out checks, at least monthly, on tyres and fluid levels, as well as lights and windscreen wipers, should be standard procedures for all drivers”

Basic vehicle health and safety checks ignored reveals Kwik-Fit Fleet survey
Fleet decision-makers and company car drivers are failing to undertake routine vehicle maintenance in accordance with best practice health and safety guidance, a Kwik-Fit Fleet survey has revealed. A nationwide survey of 183 company car drivers by Kwik-Fit Fleet corporate sales managers found that a third of drivers surveyed checked tyre pressure and tread no more frequently that quarterly and 21% of drivers never undertook checks. Only 45% of drivers carried out checks at least monthly, in accordance with tyre industry advice. Meanwhile, a fifth of drivers (22%) admitted to never checking car fluid levels – oil and water – and a further third (34%) said they only undertook quarterly checks. A total of 44% of drivers (81) said they carried out checks at least monthly in line with industry guidance.

In addition, the survey also found that almost half of drivers (49%) admitted to never having read the driver’s manual issued with their company car. Nigel Davies, UK fleet sales director of Kwik-Fit Fleet, says: “Health and safety has consistently featured as the number one fleet industry issue in recent years, yet our survey shows that in terms of routine vehicle maintenance basic checks are being ignored by many drivers. “This may be because of a laissez-faire attitude among company car drivers or the fact that they have not read the manual, which tells them about basic maintenance and when to carry it out or have not been advised by fleet operators.

“Carrying out checks, at least monthly, on tyres and fluid levels, as well as lights and windscreen wipers, should be standard procedures for all drivers. As far as health and safety regulations are concerned, the company car is defined as a place of work so following best practice advice is essential.” Poor tread on a tyre, for example, could be the cause of an accident and an increasing focus on the causes of at-work road accidents is likely to mean tyre wear becomes an even greater issue during police and health and safety investigations. Meanwhile, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency can be called in to examine whether a vehicle defect may have contributed to an incident and, often in tandem with the police, carry out spot checks on vehicle roadworthiness.

The Kwik-Fit Fleet Driver Survey also revealed that:

• 61% of drivers are not given any reminder by their fleet manager, leasing company or fleet management provider when their car is due for a service
• 7% of company car drivers surveyed continue to break the law by using a hand-held mobile phone while driving. Although 8% of drivers questioned said they never used a mobile phone while driving
• Almost three-quarters of drivers (72%) said their company had advised them that it was legal to only use a hands-free mobile phone while driving, while 28% said no guidance had been issued
• Almost three-quarters of drivers questioned (73%) said they had not received any driver training since passing their driving test, although 50 drivers (27%) said they had been on a course
• More than half of drivers (53%) said their employer checked their driving licence annually, but 29% (54 drivers) said they had never had their licence checked, while 17% (32 drivers) said their licence was checked at least quarterly. Risk management best practice recommendation is that, following an initial companywide licence check, to then complete an annual licence check for drivers with 0-three points, six-monthly for drivers with four-six points and quarterly for drivers with seven-12 points
• Of the drivers surveyed, 48% (88 drivers) had points on their driving licence. Of those 65 had one conviction with 21 drivers admitting to up to six points and two having up to nine points
• The majority of drivers (63%) admitted that the widespread introduction of road safety cameras had influenced their driving style, although 37% (67 drivers) said they had not changed their attitude. While 56% of drivers believed safety cameras had contributed towards a reduction in accident rates, a total of 52% of drivers thought cameras were introduced to generate revenue rather than improve safety at crash blackspots.

Mr Davies says: “It is clear from our survey that, while many fleets and their company car drivers have adopted best practice advice in respect of tightening health and safety regulations in respect of at-work driving, there are a significant number of companies and drivers that must tighten current practices.”

“Studies have shown that drivers are particularly vulnerable to tiredness in the small hours of the morning when the body clock is at its lowest”

Tired drivers put road users at risk
New research has revealed a growing number of UK drivers putting their own, and other road users’ lives at risk by driving further and longer while tired. The RAC “Sleepy Heads” report revealed that British motorists are pushing themselves to the limit by driving an average of 350 miles in a single journey without taking a break, as well as ignoring the tell-tale warning signs of driver sleepiness.

The research of 1,000 motorists revealed that:

• Nearly half of drivers (46%) admitted to taking to the wheel while feeling drowsy
• Over one-third of drivers (34%) have been close to falling asleep at the wheel
• One in 10 (11%) have driven over 500 miles in a single journey without taking a break, with the biggest risk takers being men aged 35-64 years old
• One in five drivers (20%) are completely unaware there are some simple steps that they can take to stay alert

Driver fatigue is often overlooked by motorists, with a third (30%) of drivers now prepared to drive greater distances and 11% clocking up an extra 200 miles per journey compared to two years ago. Jim Horne, director of Loughborough University’s sleep research centre, says: “Motorists who ignore the obvious signs of tiredness and push themselves to the limit are taking serious risks. They don’t seem to realise that crashes involving falling asleep at the wheel are more likely to be fatal because of the absence of braking and greater speed at impact.

“Our studies have shown that drivers are particularly vulnerable in the small hours of the morning when the body clock is at its lowest, and especially on dull monotonous roads. There is also a ‘dip’ in the midafternoon, when the risk of these crashes is also higher. Motorists’ increasing tendency to push themselves to the limit, because of work pressures, is again very worrying, and in this respect, employers should bear a greater responsibility in ensuring the safety of their staff.”

To help UK drivers to avoid the perils of driver fatigue, the RAC recommends:

1. Plan the journey to include a 15-minute break every two hours of driving
2. If you start to feel sleepy, find a safe place to stop (not the hard shoulder of the motorway) as soon as possible
3. Drink two cups of coffee or other high-caffeine drink and have a 10-15 minute rest to allow time for the caffeine to kick in
4. Have a good night’s sleep before setting out on a long journey
5. Although it might seem like a good way to beat the traffic, avoid making long trips between midnight- 6am and 2-4pm when natural alertness is low
6. Share the driving if possible

High-tech wipers provide safety benefits
The increasing fitment to cars of twin-motor wiper drives is providing a safety benefit, particularly for cyclists and pedestrians.
That’s the view of Bosch, which developed the twin motor windscreen wiper system now fitted to vehicles such as the new Ford Galaxy, the Citroën C6 and the recently-launched Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Although an increasing number of vehicle manufacturers are using the twin-motor windscreen wiping system, only around 5% of models manufactured in Europe are fitted with the technology – particularly top-end models together with medium and compact MPVs, where space is at a premium. However, the company predicts that percentage will double over the next five years.

The system, in which each wiper arm is driven by its own electric motor, offers the maximum swept windscreen area via motors that are both compact and flexible for under bonnet fitment. In conventional wiper systems the two arms are rigidly connected by a metal linkage and driven by a single motor. The Bosch two-motor wiper system synchronises the two drives electronically and integrated sensors continuously monitor the precise position of the wiper arms. This allows the change in the direction of the wiper arm to be individually determined ensuring that the wiper sweeps close to the A pillar maximising the widest field of view for the driver/passenger.

Drivers welcome government car share plans as a safety move
Over one in five drivers (21%) are more likely to share their journey as a result of the government’s car share plans for the country’s motorways, according to research from Privilege Insurance.

Almost half of motorists (48%) actively support the introduction of car pool lanes on key commuter routes, with almost a quarter (24%) opposed to the plans. The first-ever car share lane to be built on a UK motorway will be fully operational next year and is expected to improve journey times by an average of eight minutes during peak periods for drivers using the M606 and M62 between Bradford and Leeds in West Yorkshire. The onemile lane will allow vehicles carrying more than one person to bypass congestion at M62 junction 26 and gain priority entry on to the eastbound M62.

The M62 scheme was the second location to be announced for introducing car sharing lanes. The first location to be announced was the M1 between junctions 7 and 10, as part of a widening scheme. Car share arrangements are due to come into operation in 2008. Nearly 8% of motorists currently have a car pool arrangement in place for their drive to work, according to Privilege’s findings. By the end of 2006, over four million UK drivers expect to be sharing car journeys on a regular basis (12%), and by 2010 this will increase to nearer six million (17%).

And the car share plans could lead to increased road safety, according to the research. One in 10 drivers say they have been involved in an accident when driving alone, compared to just 1 in 20 who were driving with a passenger. Ian Parker, managing director of Privilege Insurance, welcomed the government’s plans and says: “Privilege’s research demonstrates the potential road safety benefits of car sharing and highlights the support car sharing enjoys among many drivers. If car pooling or sharing journeys encourages safer driving, then that should be sufficient justification to prompt drivers and the government into rethinking their car use habits and promoting the use of car pool lanes more vociferously.”

“It is our role to be proactive in identifying areas where we can help to safeguard the welfare of our members”

Howzat! Cricketers learn safe driving
Professional cricketers are being encouraged to take part in a “Safe Driving Campaign” launched by Ashes-winning England and Warwickshire cricket hero Ashley Giles.

He launched the Professional Cricketers’ Association’s (PCA) latest player initiative – to educate and promote driver awareness to all professional cricketers, throughout 2006 – in association with Volkswagen Touareg, and in partnership with DriveTech (UK), Thatcham (the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre) and the England and Wales Cricket Board. The launch event saw a 35mph controlled car crash, in Thatcham’s crash-test laboratory, simulating the damage caused both to a car and its passengers, even at a relatively low speed.

The PCA’s season-long campaign is a combination of workshops, risk assessments and training programmes provided to all professional players, nationwide. The programme is provided to players, free of charge, by the PCA and Volkswagen Touareg, and has been specifically designed and developed by DriveTech (UK) to meet the needs of the modern professional cricketer. Volkswagen is an official supplier to the England Team. Jason Ratcliffe, director player services at the PCA says: “Our members, the 400 or so professional cricketers in England and Wales travel a huge number of miles each season and spend hours on the road travelling from county to county to play their matches. “As the PCA, it is our role to be proactive in identifying areas where we can help to safeguard the welfare of our members and in this initiative we believe we will significantly reduce the potential risk of death or serious injury on to professional players.”

In most cases, the three-hour driver awareness programme is being delivered to the players at their individual county grounds. Each cricketer initially completes a driver risk assessment to determine their risk exposure rating. The assessment will then be followed by a two-hour inter active workshop during which DriveTech’s experts will address key driving issues such as speed awareness, driver fatigue, the impact of alcohol and drugs on drivers, equipment storage, mobile phone usage and observation and manoeuvring while behind the wheel. Mr Ratcliffe continues: “I believe that each player’s attitude and behaviour while driving will be enhanced as well as their competency to drive. The initiative will not teach the players how to drive, but it will teach them how to drive safely.”

Mr Giles adds: “There have been many times during my career when I have jumped in the car at the end of a long day’s play and driven a couple of hundred miles to our next venue. This is an important initiative and driver safety is a key issue for cricketers, especially when, in the space of a couple of years, the game lost two young players, Graham Kersey and Ben Hollioake, in car accidents.”