A huge membership ensures the
British Vehicle Rental
and Leasing Association is a force to be reckoned with |
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| The Association forms a single, aggregated
voice, which is listened to by government and its many agencies |
Road safety is high on the priority list for members of the British
Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) and it should be because
it has a total fleet exceeding 2.2 million vehicles in the UK. But
what is the BVRLA, who are its members and why do they have so many
vehicles?
Very simply, the BVRLA is the trade association of the vehicle rental
and leasing industry for cars, light commercials and heavy goods vehicles
in the UK. There are some 800 members, ranging from local rental companies
to very large leasing organisations with all types and sizes of enterprises
in between. Together members operate a fleet in excess of 2.2m vehicles,
buy more than £1m new vehicles each year and spend some £14bn
annually on vehicles and related services. As you can see, this industry
makes a valuable contribution to the economy and employs more than
30,000 people. The BVRLA plays two major roles. First, it provides
services to members ranging from straightforward information provision
right through to legal advice and conciliation. Second, the Association
lobbies on behalf of the industry. It forms a single, aggregated voice,
which is listened to by government and its many agencies. The BVRLA
is frequently consulted by government prior to legislation being enacted
and is often able to remove or modify contrary clauses or regulations.
The recent drive towards road safety has had a particular emphasis
on both the company car driver and the employer. The BVRLA has acted
accordingly to this and shown its commitment to improving road safety
by providing an important topical seminar series called "Driving
on the Job". Here we teamed up with leading defensive driving
experts "Drive and Survive". Members attending the seminar
were taken through the corporate aspects of risk management as well
as an interactive workshop on key skills to reduce preventable accidents.
Of course, safety on the road spans from the driver safety to the
safety of the vehicle itself. BVRLA Rental Members have rigorous inspections
of their vehicles. The AA inspects the premises and vehicles of the
rental sites and the Freight Transport Association inspects the commercial
vehicles that are for hire at member locations. This ensures a high
standard of vehicle safety and is a condition of membership to the
BVRLA.
Also, if you do happen to drive a company car your vehicle is likely
to be one of the safest vehicles on the road. BVRLA Leasing Members
are professional organisations who provide a very high standard of
customer service. Not only do they provide you with a vehicle, but
they have to have everything in place to maintain that vehicle for
you too. Their methods of checking vehicles have advanced over the
past few years in line with the new technology now available.
For example there are products on the market that can detect the actual
condition of the tyres or whether the vehicle is due for a service.
This computerised system is hooked up to the leasing company and will
alert them directly when something needs attention in the vehicle.
The new technology is there to ensure that the vehicles performance
is in top condition therefore helping road safety on all levels.
The BVRLA has a commitment to road safety and supports all sensible
projects and campaigns, such as the variable speed limits on motorways.
However John Lewis, Director General of the Association, is aware
that road safety is a national problem that isn't confined to those
who drive for a living. "Road safety is a national issue that
involves anyone who steps on or drives on a road. There are long
journeys that are forced by work, but there's nothing to stop anyone
driving for eight hours straight on a private journey. The government
needs to educate all people in driving safety with equal emphasis.
What happened to the Green Cross Man to help the children learn?"
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