Commercial Van Safety Ratings

17 February 2022

Vans and LCVs are involved in more incidents resulting in the deaths of other road users than any other vehicle type per mile travelled. It’s a shocking statistic, and when it comes to thinking about van safety, one which fleet managers and transport managers might not be fully aware of.

Recently UK van sales have risen sharply with a 26% increase in LCVs compared to a 6% rise in sales of new cars, according to DVLA sales data for Sept 2020 to Sept 2021. It follows then that employers of those who drive for work should have detail and clarity on the safety aspects of a vehicle when they make choices on which vans and LCVs they will be running in their organisation – shouldn’t they?

It’s not always straightforward when it comes to understanding which of the current safety technologies you can expect to have in the van you are buying, either as standard or as an option.

There are huge implications in terms of drivers safety as well as that of other road users. The potential for reputational damage in these days of social media, with photos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram showing signwritten vans involved in road incidents is one that every business owner and manager has to be aware of – and avoid.

But how do fleet managers know which vans offer the best safety options?  The world’s only Commercial Van Safety Rating programme, administered by vehicle safety experts at Euro NCAP and Thatcham Research has just announced its latest findings.

In a new podcast Driving for Better Business talks to Matthew Avery, Chief Research Strategy Officer at Thatcham to find out which vans are achieving the highest ratings and which are not recommended – and it makes for interesting listening.