Fleet chief leads way with ESC as standard
NAPP Pharmaceuticals is at the leading-edge of fleet safety, having changed its company car policy to make electronic stability control (ESC) mandatory on all vehicles...
Jill Grimes
The Cambridge-based company, part of a worldwide association of independent pharmaceutical companies that have been developing vital new drugs for more than half a century, is one of the first UK fleets to answer calls for companies to take a lead in ensuring the life-saving anti-skid technology is a 'must have' feature.
Following the launch of a Europewide 'Choose ESC!' campaign, which is designed to speed-up the take-up of the technology by fleets and private motorists, Napp Pharmaceuticals has taken its pioneering stance.
At least 40% of fatal road accidents are the result of skidding and studies show that ESC could reduce such accidents by up to 80%. Thatcham, the Motor Insurance Industry Research Centre, calculates that more than 400 lives and 3,000 serious injuries on UK roads could be saved if all new vehicles were equipped with ESC.
Jill Grimes, fleet co-ordinator at Napp Pharmaceuticals and chairman of the company-s fleet committee, said: "What price can you put on a life? If just one life is saved as a result of the company making ESC on all new vehicles compulsory then the right decision has been made."
The company operates an open choice 340-strong userchooser company car fleet with Audi, BMW and Volkswagen models making up the majority of vehicles.
"Some of the vehicles already have ESC fitted as standard, but on others it is a manufacturer cost option or is not available," said Mrs Grimes. "If it is not standard equipment then it is generally not chosen by drivers."
The company, which has health and safety as part of its corporate DNA, has updated its driver electronic car ordering system to make it impossible for company car drivers - sales representatives visiting pharmacists, hospitals and doctors' surgeries and headquarters' staff - to select a new vehicle that does not have ESC fitted.
The company car policy already states that all vehicles must have a European New Car Assessment crash test rating of at least four stars and, additionally, Napp Pharmaceuticals elects to fit rear parking sensors to all models to reduce the risk of crashes.
Mrs Grimes said: "Ensuring our employees and all other road users are safe on the road has always been part of the company's ethos. However, even though we believe our incident record is good we are always looking for new initiatives to further reduce the risk of a crash."
She made the recommendation that ESC should be fitted as standard to all new vehicles, which are supplied on three-year/80,000- mile contracts by Bank of Scotland Vehicle Finance, after attending an ACFO (Association of Car Fleet Operators) East Anglia regional meeting.
The meeting featured a presentation by Bosch, the company that developed and launched vehicle stability control systems more than a decade ago. "They explained how mush safer cars fitted with ESC were than vehicles that were not equipped so I made the recommendation to the fleet committee and it was approved," she said. "I consider ESC to be an essential piece of equipment. If ESC is available then given its clear benefits in improving road safety why wouldn't anyone insist on having the feature. Employees are a company's most valuable asset so why would we not want to protect them and other road users?"
Bank of Scotland Vehicle Finance is actively working with its fleet customers to encourage them to follow the lead of Napp Pharmaceuticals, which is ranked 18th by size of prescription-only medicine sales among 230 companies in the UK pharmaceutical industry.
Graham Kerr, associate director of Bank of Scotland Vehicle Finance - Corporate, said: "ESC is such a key safety feature and because it is only fitted to about half the vehicles on the UK's roads it is vital that we work to influence companies and drivers. Whether or not to take ESC as an option should not be left to individual drivers. We want safe fleets and we want to see ESC as standard.
"We must work to raise awareness of the benefits of ESC and its life-saving potential by providing guidance and advice because, in our experience, fleet managers have very limited knowledge of the benefits of ESC. We also need buy-in from HR, procurement and finance departments.
"If fleets ensure car choice policies are restricted to only vehicles fitted with ESC then we will have safer roads. If the choice is left to drivers then they will specify satellite navigation systems, alloy wheels or air conditioning."