| Beep Beep – Watch out it’s Mr. Toad! |
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Perhaps getting the rental staff off to the best possible start is the answer, but with deliveries to companies’ headquarters, hurried airport transactions and impatient customers tapping local rental counters, this isn’t always possible. Even when there is time for a normal handover process, this often turns into some kind of virility test. So if a pleasant young rental agent asks any self respecting middle-aged hirer “do you know how to drive this vehicle?” the inevitable answer will be “yes of course, my dear”. This is the point when the “Mr Toad” complex cuts in. Too many hirers can’t wait to head for the open road, so ignoring the consequences off they go. With most standard vehicles being a lot less standard than they used to be, and with a dashboard festooned with a dazzling array of switches, gadgets, gizmos, novelties and computer wizardry, surely it’s better to explain these before the hirer is let loose on the unsuspecting public. No good letting someone unfamiliar with the vehicle try to puzzle these gadgets out when their curiosity finally gets the better of them, whilst at the same time batting along the nearest motorway. Even simple instructions, such as adjusting wing mirrors, seat position, headrests and learning how the reverse gear engages, assume huge significance when different people constantly take charge of a rental vehicle. Not only do they frequently have accidents in the rental company car park before setting off, but are a real danger to their passengers and other road users once they have left the premises. Learning by accident Allowing “Mr Toad” to get himself into a hole is daft, dangerous and potentially very expensive, as the following outcomes illustrate. On top of the obvious financial impact on the rental companies’ insurance, there is the very serious impact of the pain and suffering caused. • Head-on collision while hirer was examining unfamiliar vehicle controls – multiple injuries to three people: cost of claim £750,000 • Bystander crushed against wall because driver was not used to reversing a large van: cost of claim £185,000 • Hirer unfamiliar with minibus handling characteristics at speed, hit the road barrier and rolled down a slope, injuring 15 passengers: cost of claim £1,250,000. • Hirer’s arm almost severed through unfamiliarity with operating a truck’s tail-lift: cost of claim £95,000. These people and those with them learned the hard way. Rental vehicles are mostly new, very well maintained and come with the latest safety devices, so it’s rarely the vehicle that is the danger. Rental agents want to see their customers return safely and satisfied, and hopefully back for many more rentals, so they would rather spend a little extra time where needed at the time of rental. But hirers should know that it is their responsibility to operate these machines safely for their own sake and that of other people. So be aware and check that “Mr Toad” does not appear next time you rent a vehicle! Aon Rental Business Services (part of Aon Corporation) are Insurance Brokers and Risk Management Advisors to vehicle rental companies and can be contacted on 0118 929 5100. |
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