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Government to unveil van driver training programme
Government statistics forecast a continued and rapid growth in light commercial vehicles on the nation’s roads. Consequently, according to Momenta, the image of “white van man” and the associated safety and professional connotations are also likely to follow that predicted growth. The first draft of the LCV guide was due to be completed last month alongside a pilot training scheme involving 25 drivers aimed at improving their driving skills to improve vehicle fuel economy, observation and anticipation skills, giving advice on vehicle loading and unloading and load positioning. In producing the scheme, meetings are being held with key stakeholders who include the Health and Safety Executive, Driving Standards Agency, Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, Freight Transport Association, Road Haulage Association, the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association and fleet operators. Momenta anticipates the guide and the training programme to be launched by the DfT in spring next year. It is expected that training for van drivers employed by companies running small fleets will be free, while there will be a nominal charge for drivers employed by companies running medium and large fleets. ACFO to launch at-work driving health and safety guide The Association of Car Fleet Operators (ACFO) is to launch a CD ROM policy guide to help all companies compile sound policies for managing the on-road risks faced by any employee who drives as part of their job function “Employers’ duty of care in relation to at-work driving is the number one fleet issue and it is vital that best practice polices are spread industry-wide. ACFO has always provided mechanisms to achieve this. The next logical step of this process is a general guide to members. That is why we are putting the finishing touches to the CD ROM, which will be launched early in January 2006.” The CD ROM features a collection of documents and policies on all aspects of managing occupational on-road risks. These have been contributed by some of the more than 800 car and van fleet operators belonging to ACFO. Mr Whyte says: “Members and other fleet operators will be able to use the CD ROM as a basis for introducing robust and comprehensive policies to combat occupational road risk, or to strengthen and refresh existing policies. The CD ROM will be distributed free of charge to the entire ACFO membership as a direct benefit. Fleet drivers – a safety timebomb waiting to explode Companies are wasting money because many driver training sessions are being cancelled as either the vehicle or the driver is unfit, says Drive & Survive. Marketing manager Steve Johnson says: “It takes time, effort and above all money to put the case for, receive authority for and then implement a driver risk management programme so why would so many companies allow that hard won budget to be wasted?” Drive & Survive routinely monitors and reports on the reasons for its on-road defensive driver training sessions being cancelled, delayed or compromised in some way and the 641 special training reports filed in the period 12 months to July 2005 revealed that:
In addition, 18.5% (119) of the training sessions revealed a range of driver safety issues where the trainer believed that, without further specialist training, the driver in question was highly likely to be involved in a serious on-road incident in the near future. Mr Johnson adds: “Worryingly, three sessions during the period were stopped as a result of the driver being under the influence of drink or drugs and a further two because the driver was so tired he was in danger of falling asleep behind the wheel despite having the trainer alongside him at the time. “Unsurprisingly to us, 13 of the 641 training sessions could not proceed because drivers had invalid licences. Although this only represents 2% of the total sessions cancelled, it is symptomatic of a much larger problem within the UK fleet industry and cannot be overcome by casually checking licences at the employee’s annual assessment.” ● Drive & Survive has launched its new on-line product, the Driver Risk Optimisation Programme (DROP), an improved, updated and totally integrated version of its existing individual driver risk assessment and driver improvement e-learner products. Using the very latest .Net Microsoft programming language, DROP is a new web application, built to operate at maximum efficiency over the internet and is capable of handling four times more data than existing products.
Companies face up to employee business insurance nightmare Motorists nationwide who drive their own vehicles on business are unlikely to be correctly insured because of confusion over the complex array of policies on the market. With numerous categories of insurance policy to choose from and no standardisation across the insurance market, employees are frequently in the dark over the type of cover they require to be legally watertight when driving their own car on company business. With thousands of drivers opting out of company cars and choosing cash, personal contract purchase arrangement or employee car ownership scheme, the onus is on employees, fleet managers and HR departments to ensure the correct insurance is purchased. However, many businesses adopt a laissez-faire attitude to their responsibilities and with employees invariably having a lack of knowledge of the type of insurance policies available and the type of business cover required, it is widely believed that many privately-owned vehicles are being driven on business without adequate insurance cover in place. Research by Arval, the UK’s leading fleet and fuel management company, suggests that as many as one in 10 drivers, who have opted out of traditional company car schemes in favour of the cash alternative have effectively voided their insurance policies by failing to declare that their vehicle will be used for business purposes.
The research also reveals that the majority of those without insurance are high mileage business drivers who would be placed in the “high-risk” category for accidents and collisions by motor insurance companies. The figures suggest that there is an ever-increasing number of cash-for-car scheme drivers failing to state their vehicle is for business use and that many are under-stating their annual business mileage in order to benefit from lower insurance premiums. Arval also says that companies are not adequately policing their cash-for- car drivers, despite the fact that the employer continues to have a duty of care while their employees are driving on business. 41% of business drivers using their own car for business say that their employers do not check to ensure that their vehicle is roadworthy in terms of service and maintenance. ALD Automotive, one of the UK’s leading contract hire and leasing companies with more than 45,000 vehicles on its fleet, says it is vital that expert advice is obtained on insurance so as companies and their employees are not left with a huge bill, a potential court case in the event of a claim and an insurance policy declared invalid. Tim Hutton, account director at Lloyd Latchford Insurance Consultants Ltd, of Princes Risborough, the broker that advises ALD Automotive, says: “Ensuring the correct business insurance is obtained is fundamental for both companies and employees and it is important that they obtain professional help.” There are five major types of insurance policies: social domestic and pleasure; social, domestic, pleasure and commuting (commuting is defined as driving to one permanent place of work; therefore driving to a training course would mean the trip was made with invalid insurance in place); class 1 business use (social, domestic and pleasure and use by the policy holder or spouse/partner in person in connection with their business or profession); class 2 business use (the same as class 1 but including ‘commercial travelling’); class 3 business use (aimed at the door-to-door salesman who is also collecting money). Mr Hutton says: “The majority of employees opting out of company cars will require either class 1 or class 2 business insurance. However, because of different definitions and interpretations by insurance companies on what is business use and what is classed as ‘commercial travelling’, there is no standard policy for employees to purchase. The type of cover required will be defined by the employee’s job and will vary between insurance companies.” ALD Automotive offers a unique motor insurance package which it has developed in conjunction with Lloyd Latchford Insurance Consultants and Zurich, one of the world’s largest insurers. Specifically designed for the private car purchase market and aimed at employees using own cars on business, features include unlimited business mileage cover, the potential of a three-year fixed rate premium, uninsured loss recovery up to £100,000, a free courtesy car during repairs and European breakdown assistance. Mr Hutton says: “By purchasing an industry-specific product via a broker, advice is being given on the cover required and the responsibility lies with the broker to make sure the correct cover is purchased. This takes the pressure away from both the employer and employee.”
Dealerships engage with customers on occupational road risk Dealer groups are beginning to advise their fleet customers about managing occupational road risk with the help of independent risk management provider Mac, which until four years ago had been part of Honda (UK). Norton Way Motors, a go-ahead, family-owned dealership group with Honda, Mazda and Peugeot dealerships in Letchworth and a second Honda franchise in Chiswick, west London, was the first dealership to engage Mac to hold an occupational road risk seminar. The group’s Honda Chiswick and Mazda Letchworth outlets are Honda and Mazda’s most successful franchises in Europe in terms of sales volumes. Norton Way Motors’ operations manager Richard Siney says: “Fleet is an important part of the business. This year we will sell around 8,000 fleet units. With fleet being a significant part of the business, it is important that we are viewed as a service provider offering added value and not just another dealership.”
With the help of The Association of Car Fleet Operations (ACFO), around 70 fleet decision-makers attended the Mac health and safety seminar and gained an overview of the issues and their responsibilities. The seminar’s popularity led to a further health and safety seminar being held in November by the company, which was named Fleet News “Fleet Supplier of the Year” in 2000. The initial seminar has resulted in at least one of the company’s major clients rewriting their vehicle handover document. Norton Way Motors’ 25 customer liaison officers now ensure they conduct vehicle familiarisation with individual company car drivers when new vehicles are delivered. Mr Siney says: “Many delegates at the seminar were unsure of the actions they were required to take to comply with duty of care and health and safety legislation. The feedback we received showed that the initial seminar provided clarity on a ‘grey’ subject which is why we have repeated the session because it is important to raise awareness about the responsibilities of companies towards their at-work drivers.” He says about a third of the delegates were new contacts for Norton Way Motors and adds: “As well as providing expert advice on what fleets need to do to comply with health and safety legislation and duty of care best practice, the seminars are also about promoting Norton Way Motors as a credible force in the fleet market.” Mac, which has 16 years’ experience in the fleet risk business, has also delivered fleet safety presentations for Honda’s corporate sales managers so they can communicate health and safety advice and information to fleet customers. Mac has recently expanded its dealer relationships and has held a similar seminar with Holdcroft Honda in Stoke and is also working with dealerships within both the East Anglia-based Marshall Group and the Sytner organisation, one of the UK’s largest franchise dealer businesses. Mac operations director Tom Jones says the company had launched an on-line driver profiling programme for Sytner for employees who drive company cars. A risk assessment based on the answers given to a series of questions on road knowledge, the Highway Code and hazard perception sees employees rated low, medium or high risk, with those in the latter category undergoing on-the-road driver training. Mr Jones says: “Dealers are a responsible group and they are taking occupational road risk issues on board not only for themselves, but also in terms of providing added value to their customers. “There has been a lot of sabre rattling around occupational road risk which has highlighted how fleet managers and their bosses may end up in prison cells. We are making companies aware of their responsibilities without going over the top. The main issue is that firms’ have workplace driving policies and procedures in place to protect their drivers and themselves from the threat of litigation.”
New Thatcham research reveals the bumpers that don’t bump A minor crash at 10mph can cost more than £4,000, according to research by Thatcham, the British motor insurer’s research centre. Its research “conclusively” shows that many vehicles have almost no protection in a minor crash, leading to high amounts of damage. This is due to the fact that the car’s first line protection system, the bumper, is so poorly designed. In some cases, the bumper is omitted completely. Typical low speed shunts occur in queues of traffic at junctions or on busy motorways. At such low speeds injuries are rare due to the intervention of seatbelts and airbags. However, cars should be protected by their bumper system, but in many cases they are not, says Thatcham, as most bumpers fail to absorb the energy of a crash, are not properly aligned, or are not fitted at all. It says the plastic outer cover fitted to almost all new cars is only cosmetic and offers little protection. The actual protection should come from a bumper beam beneath the outer cover. But, on most cars the beam is far too small and shallow to offer any realistic protection. A further problem is that the beams only protect the front or rear of the car; they very rarely cover the corners, says Thatcham. This means that in a corner crash at a junction there is often no protection. Thatcham’s research has also shown that some manufacturers do not fit a beam at all, meaning that in a minor crash, repair costs will be unnecessarily high. Thatcham is working to develop an insurance crash test to encourage manufacturers to fit deeper, wider and more energy absorbing beams to vehicles, both front and rear, which will reduce crash damage.
Fleet chiefs fail to implement basic road safety policies New research shows many fleet operators are failing to implement even the most basic road safety policies.
IDS chief executive officer Ed Dubens says: “These results suggest that although almost three quarters of respondents had a policy, less than half of them reviewed and updated it on a regular basis and that almost two thirds of them did not bother to check whether their people were aware of, understood or applied the policy. “This led us to believe that there are some clear gaps between organisational policies – what they say and what they actually do.” As a result, IDS has imported from the US “Risk Foundation” – a tool to help organisations take the step from having the policy to making it an integral part of their “crash free culture” programme. To develop a “Risk Foundation” solution, IDS works 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 among employees who drive for work purposes about the key policies and procedures designed to keep them safe at all times. Following the launch of this new service to a number of clients earlier this year, the key benefits have been identified as:
Risk Foundation is designed to be updated and retaken every 12 months by everyone driving for work purposes, to keep them up to date on changes in working practices and legislation that may impact on policies and procedures.
IFS and RoSPA launch at-work driving safety crusade Inchcape Fleet Solutions has joined forces with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) to provide a comprehensive five-step occupational road risk management programme to customers.
This means that time is running out for the majority of Britain’s fleets that have so far failed to introduce best practice risk management measures. As a consequence, in the event of a crash, most companies are continuing to expose themselves to legal action if they are not actively pursuing measures to protect occupational drivers. Now, Inchcape Fleet Solutions, one of the UK’s leading contract hire and fleet management companies with in excess of 50,000 vehicles on its books, says the time to take action is now. It already carries out driving licence checks on behalf of fleet customers and, to reinforce its road safety commitment, it has launched a five-step action plan in partnership with RoSPA, one of the world’s leading safety training and consultancy organisations. Inchcape Fleet Solutions managing director Terry Bartlett says: “For the majority of people, the most dangerous thing they do at work is to drive on the public highway. Yet, industry estimates suggest most businesses do not undertake any assessment of the risks faced by their at-work drivers. “The lack of responsibility shown by most companies towards managing occupational road risk is even more astounding when the financial savings resulting from an improved safety culture are added to the moral, ethical and legal benefits.” The action plan aimed at developing at-work drivers and company managers in a safety-first environment features:
Charles Davis, RoSPA’s head of driver and fleet solutions, says: “We can prove that putting in place a comprehensive occupational road risk management programme has numerous spin-offs. “But the major benefits are significant cost savings that can be attributed to accident reduction and the introduction of a safer and more efficient method of driving, legislative compliance and the fact that businesses are taking care of their most important resource – their employees.The management of occupational road risk and the dangers that at work drivers experience, makes this the biggest health and safety issue this country faces.”
Cranfield and Peak launch psychometric on-line assessment Cranfield University and driver training specialists Peak Performance are launching an on-line driver risk assessment developed specifically for company car and van drivers based on psychometric principles.
Human factors contribute to around 95% of road traffic accidents and this new approach allows fleet operators to more accurately identify high-risk driver behaviour and implement the specific training needs to tackle it, thereby reducing the potential for road crashes. The FDRI has been developed by driver behaviour expert, Dr Lisa Dorn (above), star of the recent BBC series Road Rage and director of the Driving Research Group at Cranfield University. She is also research director of DriverMetrics, a new company set up by Cranfield to handle the launch and implementation of FDRI. Dr Dorn says: “In addition to identifying those drivers at high risk of road traffic accidents, the FDRI also shows some of the reasons why people are at high risk. “By identifying the specific behaviours that contribute to a driver’s risk of accident, we are able to specify more targeted training interventions aimed at reducing the risk. Understanding what is causing increased risks for individual drivers thus enables fleet managers to manage and reduce the risk through more targeted training.” A series of training courses have been developed by Peak Performance specifically to address the behavioural issues identified by DriverMetrics. The courses feature workshop training to heighten risk awareness and on-the-road personal focus training, one-to-one with a Peak instructor, for those classified as a high risk. In order to maximise its benefits, the FDRI, which costs £15 to £25 per person depending on the number of drivers taking the assessment, should be undertaken by all employees who regularly drive for work, says Dr Dorn. Individual drivers answer questions on a secure, user-friendly accessible website, which can be customised and branded for each individual company. Within an hour of the on-line assessment being completed, the driver receives the results via email, while a designated person, usually the fleet manager, receives an executive summary of the individual driver’s profile, identifying the risk of likely involvement in accidents and the personal attributes contributing to the risk. The profile also recommends specific training interventions. In addition, an on-line management information system allows fleet managers to monitor and manage the results of the assessment and to take appropriate actions where necessary, thus contributing towards discharging the company’s duty of care to its drivers.
New study reveals energy drinks combat fatigue-related crashes Consuming energy drinks can significantly improve driver performance and stave off the likelihood of fatigue-related accidents, according to new research by Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), commissioned by GlaxoSmithKline. Driver fatigue is known to be a significant road safety concern. It is estimated that around 10% of all road accidents can be attributed to sleepiness, and that figure increases to around 20% for all motorway accidents. The TRL report on the evaluation of energy drinks containing glucose and caffeine revealed that consuming a 330ml drink, containing 60g of glucose and 40mg of caffeine, improved vehicle lane keeping, reaction times and distance keeping from the vehicle ahead in simulated driving conditions. Past studies have shown that brewed coffee, which has the highest caffeine content of any drink (around 60mg), can stave off sleepiness, but there has been a less extensive study of glucose, which is the principal source of fuel for the brain. A total of 48 experienced drivers aged between 25 and 50 participated in the study, split equally by gender. The study assessed the impact of three drinks on drivers: a control drink with the taste matched to that of energy drinks and two formulations of energy drink each containing 60g of glucose and, respectively, 25mg of caffeine and 40mg of caffeine. Overall, the drink containing the higher level of caffeine showed driver improvements, although there were some performance improvements following consumption of the drink containing lower levels of caffeine. Reaction times, for example improved by 0.1 seconds, which would result in an extra three metres at a speed of 70mph, distance from the vehicle in front improved by two to three metres and there were no crashes following consumption of the drink containing the higher levels of caffeine. The study concludes: “The combination of improved lane keeping reaction times and response to other traffic provides a very promising picture of the potential benefits to road users of consumption of functional energy drinks with caffeine at the relatively low level of 40mg.”
Motorists put their neck on the line with wrongly positioned headrests A majority of motorists (55%) are putting themselves at risk of painful neck injuries because of incorrectly positioned head restraints, according to spot check surveys by the RAC Foundation. Whiplash injuries are costing the country an estimated £2bn per year and thousands of these injuries could be avoided if motorists positioned their head restraints correctly. Researchers estimate that as many as 80% of all rear impact injuries result in at least one occupant suffering from a neck or spinal injury. This has lead to the RAC Foundation advising all motorists that they should ensure that their head restraints and their passengers’ are properly positioned before commencing their journey.
The top of the head restraint should be level with the top of the driver’s head, or at least no lower than eye level and the restraint should be as close as possible to the back of the head when sitting comfortably in the driving seat of the car. The survey found that most head restraints were left in the lowest position and therefore offered no protection to most drivers. Wider introduction of active head restraints and tougher legislative requirements would also enhance safety, says the Foundation. Active head restraints are designed to automatically shorten the gap between the head and head restraint in a collision, offering improved levels of protection from whiplash injuries. The Foundation is also calling for the following:
Whiplash is officially classified as a minor injury. but the after-effects are often severe. Sufferers spend an average of 39 days off work and at least 8% of people have not fully recovered at least up to four years after the accident took place.
Worn roads and wrongly inflated tyres prove a lethal combination A lethal combination of worn-out roads and worn and wrongly inflated tyres is putting lives at risk, according to the AA Motoring Trust and the County Surveyors’ Society (CSS). A total of 17% of main roads fail basic skid resistance tests; one in 10 cars are running on illegal (under 1.6mm tread depth) tyres; around nine in 10 tyres are incorrectly inflated; and an AA Trust survey has found up to half of forecourt air pumps to be inaccurate. AA Trust Director Bert Morris says: “Tyres are critical car safety components; they are the easiest for motorists to check, yet most don’t. But road surfaces are critical too and road authorities must have, and fully deploy, funds to provide safer surfaces. “Doubling skid resistance can halve the number of accidents, while driving on worn-out roads on worn-out tyres is courting disaster. The quality of surface maintenance on many roads is not good enough and the minimum threshold for tyre tread depth may no longer be adequate. A review is now needed of the minimum legal tyre tread depth of 1.6mm based on research evidence from crashes.” Geoff Allister, CSS president, says: “How well rubber and road grip each other can be the difference between life and death in crashes and near misses. We need much greater investment from local authorities in road surface renewal – few other budgets have such an influence on life and death in their communities.” * * * * More than two million motorists in the UK are putting their lives at risk by never checking their tyre pressure or tread. An NOP Automotive survey carried out for the RAC Foundation also showed:
Research has also showed that 6% of all fatal motorway accidents are caused by the sudden failure of under inflated tyres and worn tyres contribute to 10% of accidents in the wet. This problem is exacerbated as spot checks revealed that one in three air pressure gauges in petrol stations were not working or had been vandalised. Petrol retailers should provide free, accurate and well-maintained tyre pressure gauges, according to the RAC Foundation after receiving complaints that gauges often are not working. The NOP survey also found that:
A recent safety campaign carried out by the Tyre Industry Council revealed that 90% of the cars they tested had under or over inflated tyres despite correct pressures being vital to safe handling, optimum steering, braking and grip. Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation says: “Tyre safety is not an optional extra. Tyres are the only contact that the car has with the road and therefore it is essential that they are not worn or under or over inflated.” The RAC Foundation tyre pressure fact file:
“RiskMaster” puts companies on the road to safer driving A new road-risk management programme has been launched by the Fleet Support Group (FSG) to help company managers avoid the pitfalls of new legislation as businesses face prosecution in the event of a road traffic accident. With corporate manslaughter legislation expected to come into force next year and closer scrutiny by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and police, “RiskMaster” has been created to promote a safe driving culture and protect companies from prosecution. Currently up to 20 people die and 250 are seriously injured every week as a result of road traffic accidents involving work-related activity. Now FSG – the largest independent fleet management company in the UK – has teamed up with Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) to improve road safety, reduce employee liability costs and in some cases save up to 25% on insurance premiums. Urging companies to act now before legislation becomes mandatory, FSG chairman, Geoffrey Bray says: “The object of “RiskMaster” is to change attitudes towards managing work-related road safety and to promote a ‘safe driving culture’, while at the same time reducing vehicle and associated costs.” “RiskMaster” helps companies set clear objectives and asks fleet managers to apply for an on-line “permit to drive” for all drivers – including those employees driving non-company vehicles. Drivers are then asked a series of questions to establish “fitness to drive”; this helps identify those who might need further training, which is provided by RoSPA. Acting as a robust management tool, “RiskMaster” utilises bespoke software to measure driving performance on an on-going basis – ensuring safe driving and roadworthy vehicles. Mr Bray says: “By acting on information pin-pointed by ‘RiskMaster’, a company can demonstrate both corporate and social responsibility and protect its biggest asset – its people. Because ‘RiskMaster’ software is built on the basis of absolute compliance – both legal and operational – in the event of any major incident where a company is subject to investigation, its robust nature will satisfy the most stringent audit.” Launched by FSG following a three-year development programme with RoSPA, “RiskMaster” can take on the management of all maintenance and accident-related activity. This includes real-time video inspections of vehicles anywhere in the UK, annual vehicle health checks and fitting of electronic monitoring systems. Charles Davis, head of RoSPA driver and fleet solutions, says: “Guidance from the HSE makes it clear that employers can no longer abdicate their responsibilities for managing work-related road safety. HSE has clearly stated that work-related road safety is to be treated as part of mainstream health and safety management. “If called to account, companies implementing “RiskMaster” can demonstrate efficient management of occupational road risk and boost employee morale by showing companies take their social and moral responsibilities seriously.” A “RiskMaster” trial was carried out by one of FSG’s clients, Barnes Group UK – operating a fleet of 60 light commercial vehicles and 50 company-provided cars (RoadSafe: summer 2004). With a risk assessment policy signed off at board level and managed by FSG, results showed incident rates down by 20%; maintenance costs down by 15% and insurance premiums reduced by 25% in the first year alone. The second year of the trial saw a further reduction of 15% in insurance premiums. FSG offers “RiskMaster” either on the basis of the client company managing the process internally or where FSG manages the entire process based on the provision of maintenance and accident management services.
Six-point plan points to safer driving A major initiative designed to enable organisations to improve their occupational road risk management has been launched by Venson Group in conjunction with specialist risk management provider DriveTech (UK). Venson Group, one of the UK’s largest independent fleet solution providers to the private and public sector, has designed a comprehensive one-stop shop bespoke programme called SafeGuard to promote a safe driving culture and protect customers from prosecution in the event of a road accident.
The six-point action plan has been designed in the light of ever-increasing health and safety targeted legislation, coupled with the tougher enforcement of existing laws, that are being aimed at companies in a bid to reduce the number of road crashes that involve at-work drivers. Working closely with DriveTech, Venson says it will ensure businesses comply with existing and forthcoming legislation. The initiative focuses on company car and van drivers as well as employees who have taken a ‘cash for car’ option and staff who drive their own cars on business. The six-point duty of care action plan sees:
All data on employees’ driving licences and insurance and service and maintenance documentation related to privately-owned cars used on company business will be loaded on to Venson’s management information system. Reports will be run monthly to ensure all documentation and records are checked by the client company and updates provided at the agreed time. The reports will provide a complete audit control of all the checks carried out. Samantha Medley, Venson’s group business development director, says: “Any organisation that allows employees to carry out company business in a company car or their own vehicle is liable under duty of care legislation for their employee. “With DriveTech we have made it as easy as possible to ensure that all our customers comply with legislation. Numerous case studies show that establishing such policies make financial, legal and moral sense.”
Hampshire Police target speeding drivers to protect New Forest ponies
Drivers in Hampshire’s pony-dominated New Forest, are being given hard-hitting lessons on the risks of driving dangerously on the area’s roads. There are many animal owners in the area and the animals are branded so they are identifiable and then allowed to roam around the Forest. But collisions between vehicles and animals do happen and every year many animals are killed because people don’t take enough care when driving in the area. To combat the problem and encourage motorists to drive safely, officers from Hampshire Constabulary’s Roads Policing Unit and local New Forest officers have just held a second operation in conjunction with Hampshire County Council’s Road Safety Team, as well as New Forest Commoners and New Forest Verderers. The aim is to educate drivers on the dangers of not abiding by Forest speed limits and driving recklessly around animals in the forest. The one-day operation involved setting up two checkpoints next to car parks, targeting speeding motorists. The locations were chosen due to their high animal death rates. Those stopped travelling in excess of the much publicised 40mph speed limit were directed to the car park and given either a fixed penalty notice and three points on their licence, or a talk with the police and a local forest person or a commoner who had experienced the loss of an animal. All of those stopped opted for the talk rather than the fine and points. A Hampshire police spokeswoman says: “Those drivers who took part were made aware of the effects of a loss of an animal on the owner, as well as what potentially could happen to them. “Even in a collision where the driver suffers minimal injuries, large animals such as horses and cattle that are free in the Forest can do extensive damage to a vehicle when hit at speed – for which the driver of that vehicle would have to pay.”
Safety is high on rental priority list, says Avis Avis is experiencing a greater emphasis on safety when its corporate clients are enquiring about and using its range of rental services. There has been a noticeable shift in recent months and Avis believes it is a direct result of companies finally taking their duty of care responsibilities more seriously. Avis has identified a 10% rise in companies putting employees into a rental car rather than letting them use their own car on company business. The biggest increase has been in the large fleet area, with more companies tightening up their health and safety related procedures. Penny Stoolman, director of sales and marketing at Avis, says: “A lot has been written in the press about pool car fleets being a thing of the past, but reality says we are seeing more companies hiring a car for their employees who need to travel on work business, rather than letting them use their own vehicle. “Some have said to us that for the sake of a rental cost of £40 per day, they can rest in the knowledge that the car has been safety checked and is in excellent working order, thus adhering to duty of care recommendations. In the long term, they see £40 as an investment, compared with the long term impact on a business of an employee causing a serious accident.” All Avis cars receive a 59-point safety check before being sent out to their next customer and every car is equipped with a safety card reinforcing where all the key controls are on each car and encouraging all drivers to take care when they use a rental car that could be different to the car they drive on a daily basis.
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