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MPs have called for tougher enforcement of the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) guidance on work-related road safety as part of a radical and urgent overhaul of the system for dealing with motoring offences. The cross-party House of Commons Transport Select Committee said in its Traffic Law and Enforcement Report: “We strongly support greater enforcement of the guidance on work-related road safety, better reporting of work-related road incidents, and a proper study of the case for an Approved Code of Practice on work-related road safety. ” In September last year, the HSE in conjunction with the Department for Transport published at-work driving duty of care guidance for companies in a report called “Driving at Work: Managing Work-Related Road Safety”. The MP’s demand is contained in 46 conclusions and recommendations from the committee in its report, which also calls for drivers who cause death or injury to be jailed under a shake-up of traffic laws. The MPs say police and prosecutors should stop treating road deaths and injuries more leniently than manslaughter and grievous bodily harm, and says drivers who kill or cause serious injury should face a new charge of “causing death/serious injury by negligent driving”. The committee says that “effective enforcement is a key way both to punish and to deter” and calls on the government to ensure that offences and penalties are appropriate and that the law is appropriately enforced. While the Department for Transport has taken the lead on road safety in a bid to reduce the casualty toll on Britain’s roads, the committee attacks the Home Office for failing to “give the police the leadership they need” in relation to dealing with road offenders. The committee says: “The Home Office needs to act urgently to ensure that there is an appropriate legal framework for dealing with road offenders, and to ensure that the roads are properly policed. In the course of this inquiry we have seen no sign that it understands the importance of this task. We hope that it will speedily bring forward legislation. ” The reports also calls for a fundamental overhaul of the law relating to careless and dangerous driving; increased penalties for motorists who drive without insurance or are already disqualified; and the government to drop its plans to reduce penalties for “minor” breeches of speed limits. The report can be accessed at: www.publications.parliament.uk Motorists warned about the dangers of driving tired The stark dangers of driving tired have been highlighted in new research undertaken by Loughborough University Sleep Research Centre and published by Road Safety Minister David Jamieson. The research, undertaken on selected motorways and trunk roads, shows that:
To avoid the dangers of driving tired, the DfT recommends:
Up to 75% of drivers do not know the basic road rules, according to a survey of more than 1,000 motorists undertaken by Interactive Driving Systems, with support from road safety charity Brake, the Institute of Advance Motorists, the Association of Industrial Road Safety Officers and the University of Huddersfield. The survey found that between 50 and 74% of drivers questioned do not have even the most basic knowledge of the current Highway Code. As a result, IDS, which led the research, suggests that employers have a duty of care to ensure that their staff are supplied with up-to-date copies of the Highway Code as a minimum standard. It also shows that a shocking number of people are driving their children to school every day or driving over 20,000 miles per annum as part of their work and yet have not looked at the Highway Code for more than 10 years. The survey was prompted by the results from over 26,000 fleet drivers that have recently been risk-assessed using IDS’s on-line RoadRISK tool. The company’s managing director Andy Cuerden says: “We were shocked to find that 49% of the 26,000 fleet drivers we risk-assessed did not fully understand the road rules nor the road signs placed to help them. If they had an accident they would not even know whether they were at fault or not. ” The research also found that:
Brake chief executive Mary Williams said: “These shocking
results may actually be worse for the general driving population
because many of the survey respondents work in road safety or fleet
management and will use the Highway Code as part of their day- to-day
employment. This suggests an urgent need for a government campaign
and concerted effort to encourage more people, and their employers,
to purchase and read the Highway Code. ”The report is available
at: www.highwaycode.net/research.php
The results mirrored studies already undertaken in Europe and Japan. A study of German government data, for example, released in 2002 by DaimlerChrysler showed accident rates for Mercedes vehicles in Germany fell by 29% between 1999 and 2000 after stability control became standard. Meanwhile, Volkswagen calculates that such technology can reduce the risk of losing control of a vehicle by as much as 80%. NHTSA evaluated the technology by studying fatal and non-fatal crashes from 1997-2003. The agency emphasised that the results were preliminary and that it would have more confidence in the effectiveness of ESC when studies could evaluate a larger cross-section of vehicles. Nevertheless, it is hoped that the preliminary findings will encourage more vehicle manufacturers worldwide to make ESC systems standard in all vehicles. ESC systems are currently available on about a third of vehicles sold in Europe and just 10% of the vehicles sold in the US. ESC is an active safety system designed to stabilise the dynamic handling response of a vehicle by counteracting any driver tendency towards understeer or oversteer – situations in which a vehicle turns too wide or too sharply through a corner. By using a bank of sensors to monitor movement, the technology anticipates when control is under threat and applies the brakes and automatically adjusts the engine’s output to help correct the car’s movements. Research suggests that fleet safety policies are often seen, but rarely read New research undertaken by Interactive Driving Systems and Zurich Risk Engineering suggests that an increasing number of external pressures in the UK, US and Australia, such as duty of care, chain of responsibility, changes in occupational health and safety regulations to make the vehicle part of the workplace, and rumours about corporate killing legislation, have persuaded many organisations to upgrade their fleet health and safety policies in recent years.
Ed Dubens, chief executive officer of interactive Driving Systems said: “Risk Foundation” is unique to each and every client across the globe. We work closely with each client to turn their health and safety and road safety policy and procedure manuals into 45 question assessments of the most safety critical issues for drivers. ” The objective of the assessment is to create a critical mass of knowledge amongst employees who drive for work purposes about the key policies and procedures designed to keep them safe at all times. Due to the nature of the assessment, drivers must score 100% and can take it as many times as required to achieve this. Following the launch of this new service to a number of clients earlier this year, the key benefits have been identified as:
That entails in-depth vetting of individual driving histories to ensure each person’s capability at the wheel and commitment to observe the company’s safety policy. At Barnes, a leading supplier of workshop maintenance essentials to the motor, rail and airline industries, its driver age-crash ratio is: Barnes was the first company to introduce its own compulsory “secondary licence” and every detail of Driver Compliance in action is under the microscope (Roadsafe: summer 2004). Business vehicle management specialist Fleet Support Group, in Chippenham, is operating the programme to ensure neutrality. At least three other companies are studying Barnes’ Driver Compliance results “with a view to adopting the scheme backed by a year’s experience”. It was launched last March. To date, Barnes’ vehicle accidents claims are running 30% down on a year ago and it has earned a £20,000 cut in its vehicles’ insurance premium.  Highways Agency backs new bid to cut motorcycle deaths
Under the campaign, a unique web-based route planning and reporting facility has been launched to combat the alarming increase in the number of motorcyclists who are killed and seriously injured. The Highways Agency has joined forces with the “Handle It or Lose It” campaign to provide details on motorcyclist casualties for several counties. Called “Your route to a better ride”, the service is available through www.handleitorloseit.com and comprises a unique system using computer technology. This system overlays crash data relating to motorcyclists on detailed maps using symbols to represent fatal or serious injuries. A third symbol displays information relating to problem bends or junctions with a record of motorcycle accidents. Riders are encouraged to share information on road conditions that may cause a rider to lose control of their machine. The information they provide gives them the opportunity to tell highways authorities about roads they use. This is to advise on problems for motorcyclists, as well as warning other motorcyclists about sections of roads that may prove difficult. Riders of high-powered motorcycles have featured high in the casualty rates. Motorcyclists represent only 6% of all accidents on Highways Agency roads, but are 30 times more likely to be fatally injured. Stuart Lovatt, road safety action plan coordinator at the Highways Agency says: “We want to reduce the number of fatalities among motorcyclists. ‘Handle it or Lose it’ is a new and innovative method of targeting this group. “We need to use new approaches and technology to help this group. The reporting system for riders and the maps showing casualty hot spots use the internet to open a dialogue between the Agency and motorcyclists. “This will enable the Agency to help tackle this problem where traditional methods have failed. ” ING launches fleet Risk Assist service ING Car Lease has launched a new fleet risk management service called Risk Assist, which has been created in response to the growing demands on companies with employees who are required to drive a vehicle for business purposes. Diarmuid Fahy, who is in charge of the risk management service, says: “The legal, financial and social responsibilities of companies should not be underestimated and we will ensure that our clients are able to protect themselves with a structured risk management programme.” ING Car Lease operates a fleet of 15,054 vehicles in the UK and through Risk Assist fleets will have their current fleet policy, including risk assessment, driver training and driver management, reviewed. Once it is completed, ING will identify problem areas and offer solutions. Women’s superior mirror skills not reflected in driving test pass rate While female learner drivers are better at checking their mirrors, they are let down by poor reversing skills on their driving test, says AA driving school, revealing that men pass in a shorter time and take fewer attempts. Keeping an eye out for other motorists may be a female speciality, with men 10% more likely to make a mirror-related fault, but when it comes to reversing and turning in the road, 40% more women than men will fail their test attempting these manoeuvres. Compared to men, women tend to take another two and a half months to pass their test, needing another 15-16 hours of tuition. Linda Hatswell of AA driving school says: “Statistically, men have the edge when it comes to the number of tests they take before they pass – although the difference between the sexes among 17-year-old learners is marginal – men are roughly 10% more likely to pass between the age of 18 and 24. This is no bad thing, as women are also proven to be safer drivers in the long run. “Generally, men are more technically-minded and tend to pick up the practical skills more easily. Women, on the other hand, often interpret what they are taught and develop their own technique when putting it into practice, which may take a little more time.” Driving too close on motorways is a major cause of accidents More than 40% of motorists are “an accident waiting to happen” as they drive too close to the car in front on motorways, according to a group of leading motoring bodies, which has conducted a nationwide survey of 15,000 vehicles.
Tailgating did pick up again after the chevron stretch, although not to the extent that it was at beforehand, suggesting chevrons could have a role to play in changing driver behaviour. A previous study by the influential TRL has shown accident reduction of 56% at chevron sites, compared to the same stretch of road before the chevrons were installed At present, there are only six sites on UK motorways with chevrons. The group is calling for further research to be undertaken into their effectiveness at preventing tailgating and also to consider whether they should be used more widely. Motorists must wake up to motorway fatigue More than 50% of Britain’s motorists habitually drive for more than two hours on long motorway journeys without taking a break – and half of those, a staggering 25% of all drivers never stop for a break during motorway journeys lasting four hours or longer. Those were the shocking findings of a nationwide survey conducted on behalf of the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and Auto Express magazine NOP World Automotive. The survey also revealed that a third of drivers admitted to having driven continuously for four hours or more without a rest, on at least one occasion. Company car drivers generally continue for longer periods without a break than drivers of privately-owned vehicles, while female drivers tend to stop more frequently than males. Motorists who drive cars registered since September last year are more liable to plough on without stopping, as are those who drive a roadster, coupé or convertible. When it comes to age, drivers in the 25-34 age group are the worst offenders. The results show that many drivers are either unaware of or are ignoring official advice from the Department for Transport to take a 15-minute break every two hours on a long journey. The DfT says more than one-fifth of motorway collisions are caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel and up to one in ten crashes on all of Britain’s roads – around 23,000 a year – are also linked to fatigue. IAM chief examiner, Bryan Lunn says: “Driver fatigue can easily set in on a long motorway journey, even if the driver begins the journey feeling fresh and alert. “Added to that, some medicines such as hay fever tablets may cause or increase drowsiness. Anyone taking such medication should check the precautions that are printed on the pack.” IAM tips to reduce the effects of tiredness on a long motorway journey are as follows:
Following the initial training period, David Buckby, company secretary at Britvic, says: “Results were monitored over an initial 12-month period post training and these were staggering. The sample of drivers who had received the full practical session showed a reduction of 35% in the number of accidents.” ATC has also achieved a 50% reduction in the accident rate for the Salvation Army’s fleet. The most important consequence of reducing the accident rate for fleets has got to be the cost savings. Mr Roberts explains: “If drivers are trained the skill lasts for two to three years, but companies are not aware of the costs and benefits. Lots of our clients’ statistics show we can cut accident rates by at least 40%, but we can prove in monetary terms what the savings are. “The average cost of an accident is £900, but we estimate that this represents a third of what it actually costs a company as fleets have hidden additional costs, such as downtime and cars being off the road.” Trained drivers also learn how to improve fuel economy and look after their company car better, both major sources of potential savings for fleets. IAM Fleet adds Virtual Fleet Risk Manager to driver training portfolio IAM Fleet, the commercial training division of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, has added the Virtual Fleet Risk Manager (VFRM) on-line driver assessment system to its portfolio of driver training programmes.
Training – a range of manager and driver training modules to help ensure drivers have a basic knowledge of how to minimise their risks on the road In addition to assessing and improving the driving safety of current employees, VFRM can also be used as part of the recruitment screening process for potential employees, as well as in the selection of agency and temp drivers. Research by Napier University found that VFRM could identify the drivers most likely to be involved in an accident. Analysis of over 13,000 on-line assessments found that 1% of drivers were responsible for 10% of recorded incidents, and that drivers with the lowest scores in the assessment were 3.3 times more likely to have an accident than those with the highest scores. New Foundation urges fleets to conduct “meetings without moving” Every 15 minutes in the UK someone travelling while at work, but not commuting, is killed or seriously injured in a road traffic accident. Meanwhile, most bosses are totally unaware that they could be personally liable to prosecution if they expose their workers to unnecessary risks, which include not taking action to reduce the amount of avoidable at-work travel. Now, the recently launched Meeting Without Moving Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation backed by leading campaign groups, industry organisations and businesses including RoSPA, Friends of the Earth and the Institute of Directors, is calling for a new business culture in Britain in which unnecessary travel is recognised as easily avoidable, irresponsible, undesirable and anti-social. The Foundation is looking for a mature dialogue with government, which has already started at certain senior levels. The Foundation says its aims, which address at-work road safety, the environment, business productivity and work-life balance, can intertwine seamlessly with a number of government departments’ key agendas, including: congestion, environment and the competitive advantage for UK businesses. John Blackwell, chief executive of the Foundation, says: “Meeting Without Moving is a philosophy that should be adopted by every responsible employer. Those managers who continue to send staff on unnecessary journeys, exposing them to danger and stress, wasting energy and polluting the environment, and squandering money should be encouraged to consider the alternatives to ensure they are not held responsible for their actions. “Meeting Without Moving fuses business efficiency with improved quality of life for all staff, while significantly benefiting both the environment and the economy. “With the UK facing an energy crisis, new laws related to working hours and the appalling death toll on our roads, we have to adopt a fresh approach to at-work travel. With the internet, teleconferencing and videoconferencing now ubiquitous, it is an easily-achievable goal for all businesses at all levels to embrace Meeting Without Moving, which offers a viable alternative to unnecessary business travel.” Between 800 and 1,000 deaths each year are linked to people driving for work. RoSPA believes many people killed are making unnecessary journeys. Roger Bibbings, Occupational Safety Adviser at RoSPA, says: “Employers need to question whether travelling to meetings is really necessary, particularly when there are so many safer alternatives and where people have well-established working relationships. As well as potentially saving lives and injuries in road accidents, the alternatives are likely to be cheaper and save time, fatigue and stress for employees. “There is also the environmental benefit of taking cars off the road and the chance to improve the work/life balance of employees. “Embracing the concept of Meeting without Moving can make UK businesses safer, healthier and much more efficient.” More information is available at: www.meetingwithoutmoving.com Safety at risk as company cars suffer from neglect One in three company cars is being driven with insufficient engine oil and numerous other defects have been detected that could impact on the safety of drivers and other road users, according to a random spot check conducted for a report to nearly 450 companies representing a cross section of UK plc. Driver neglect as a consequence of ever-increasing vehicle service intervals, now up to 20,000 miles in the case of many models, is the cause of most defects, according to the Fleet Support Group. The failure to make regular vital checks of fluid levels and mechanical essentials, could lead to some drivers breaking the law. When oil levels checks were undertaken, a quarter of those cars needing top-ups were so low that the vehicles were in danger of suffering costly engine damage. Now a vehicle healthcheck, similar to that already offered by Kwik-Fit Fleet, is being offered to employers as “a safety net between services required by vehicle manufacturers to maintain warranty and goodwill entitlements, that can now span the working life of a company car” by FSG. Of 154 cars checked, 38 needed up to one litre of oil and 10 were seriously short of oil, requiring up to four litres. One engine dip-stick showed no trace of oil. Projected nationwide, almost 30% of company cars could be low on oil and a quarter of those dangerously low. The check revealed also:
A third of drivers at risk because of poor eyesight
The figures were contained in a report – “The Road Ahead” – by the Royal National Institute of the Blind on this year’s RNIB Eye Test Action Day, which was supported by RAC Auto Windscreens and D&A (Dollond & Aitchison), Opticians. A third of all drivers in the research among 682 people had not had their eyes tested in the last two years as recommended by the RNIB and almost half (43%) of drivers aged 25-44 years admitted to not having a test. Anita Lightstone, the RNIB’s head of eye health, says that the report showed “a worrying complacency about eye health among drivers”. “The Road Ahead” revealed that people are not having regular eye tests and that their sight is going unchecked and uncorrected. As a result, they may be driving while not able to see road signs clearly anymore or may be wearing glasses for driving that are no longer suitable. The report also suggests drivers may not realise they could be breaking the law if they cannot pass a sight test – even when wearing glasses. The report also highlighted research from Warwick University, which revealed that 65% of people who failed a basic eye chart test were drivers who don’t wear glasses (or have their eyesight corrected in any way). Furthermore, 33% of the total sample who failed said they were not surprised and had suspicions their sight was not perfect. Ms Lightstone comments: “We are alarmed that one in three drivers are not getting their eyes tested regularly and that many people are not surprised to fail an eye test because they realise their sight isn’t perfect. Our message is clear: people need to think of an eye test as an MoT for their eyes and book one today. An eye test isn’t just about whether you need glasses, but also about preventing your sight from getting any worse or detecting potentially blinding conditions that may need some immediate treatment.” The new research has prompted the RNIB to renew its call for the government to promote the importance of regular eye tests as part of a major eye health awareness campaign. Ms Lightstone says: “The “Road Ahead” report shows that people are not getting the message that an eye test is an eye health check. The government has to act now to promote eye health and the importance of a regular eye test.” Driving with uncorrected defective vision is an offence and carries a fine of up to £1,000, three penalty points and possible disqualification. Drivers should be able to read in good light a number plate from a distance of 20.5 metres – about the length of five cars. If a driver cannot meet this standard they are breaking the law and their insurance may be invalid. RoSPA calls for time trial as winter arrives The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has called on the government to allow a three-year time trial that would give Britain lighter evenings all year round and save around 450 deaths and serious injuries on the roads each year.
Interleasing calls for zero-tolerance on employee private car use Bosses who allow their employees to use their own cars for business could unknowingly be giving them a licence to kill, according to fleet management company Interleasing. Now Interleasing is encouraging fleet and HR managers to adopt a zero tolerance approach to private car use by encouraging vital safety and suitability checks to be put in place, or ban the practice altogether, to protect employees and avoid the serious legal consequences (see feature, page 38). Latest Interleasing research reveals that almost 60% of respondents used their own cars for business and a staggering 88% of them said no company checks, such as MoT or service record, to ensure their private vehicles were safe to drive had been carried out. Of even more concern, said the company, which operates more than 100,000 vehicles in the UK, was the fact that 81% of drivers had never been asked whether they had business insurance for the vehicle and 36% hadn’t even had their driving licences checked. The problem has been partly triggered by company car tax changes which saw cash-for-car schemes become a popular system of avoiding benefit-in-kind tax. While structured cash-for-car schemes and employer car ownership offerings provide employers with a safety net as vehicles are new and must undergo all of the servicing checks associated with company cars, many unstructured schemes have seen drivers taking a sizeable monthly allowance from their companies and only investing a small amount of it in older and cheaper used vehicles. As a result, there is no relationship between the company’s fleet or HR manager and the vehicle and, in many cases, no checks on their suitability or general roadworthiness are taken. Anthony Dowdall, who is responsible for ProAct, Interleasing’s own risk management service, says: “This is a worrying trend. The fact is that roadworthiness and suitability of purpose have everything to do with the company and the government has pledged to get tougher with company at-work safety procedures. “The proposed corporate manslaughter legislation will crystallise the position, as it means that employers have to show they have complied with the Health and Safety Executive ‘Driving at Work’ recommendations.” Interleasing’s advice to a company allowing employees to use their own cars for business is to check that:
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