Spring 2008
Foreword
Road risk management policies
Ashley Martin, Editor of RoadSafe...
Cover story
New Act will have a huge effect on fleets
The long-awaited Corporate Manslaughter Act becomes law on April 6 and fleets are being urged to prepare themselves for big changes. Ashley Martin reports...
News
Unison launches ‘permits to drive’
UNISON, Britain’s giant public sector union, has ruled that its employees who drive on business must qualify for a ‘Permit to Drive’ – a driving licence will no longer be enough...
Drivers at risk as they ignore weather warnings
Up to two thirds of motorists will ignore severe weather warnings issued by meteorologists, according to a survey of 1,000 drivers by multi-marque fleet funding company Alphabet...
Expert advice galore on offer at Fleet Business Show
A raft of expert advice on best practice occupational road risk management will be available at the 2008 Fleet Business Show, which is being held on April 29 and 30 in London, and RoadSafe will be one of the leading exhibitors...
RoadSafe and NBTN target business leaders over business travel planning
Managing work-related travel and encouraging staff to travel sustainably enables businesses to save money, reduce their carbon footprint and improve their safety records...
Education campaign goes to heart of British business
An education campaign designed to save the lives of young drivers is taking its message to the heart of British business...
Plea for car sharing
Employers have been urged to introduce car share schemes for their staff in a bid to reduce congestion, tackle pollution and carbon emissions and cut the costs of travelling by Transport Minister Rosie Winterton...
News in brief
Other news stories
Firms open to prosecution
Thousands of organisations are leaving themselves open to potential prosecution under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act because they have failed to identify and assess risks and implement solutions...
Survey shows lack of ESC awareness
SAFETY and duty of care are two of the top three most critical issues for fleet decision-makers when selecting vehicle...
Pothole danger
Motorists’ lives are being put in danger because vehicles are being damaged as a result of a failure by the authorities to repair potholed roads and damaged highway surfaces, according to TyreSafe, which exists to promote tyre safety and raise the awareness of the dangers of driving on defective or badly worn tyres...
Kwik-Fit adds mobile units to cope with tyre check boom
The ever-increasing focus by companies on at-work driver safety is driving up demand for Kwik- Fit tyre safety checks with the company set to add a further 30 units to its mobile fleet this year to cope with the boom...
Online audit launched
A comprehensive occupational road risk management online driver and vehicle audit programme has been launched by All in One Leasing as an integral part of its company car opt out solution to businesses...
Employers at risk over ‘own car’ fleet drivers
OVER a third of UK employers may be leaving themselves exposed to potential health and safety pitfalls by encouraging staff to use their private cars for business...
Ministers to hear campaign
A campaign which could see companies ordered to tell the authorities about every road incident in which employees are injured has been taken to ministerial level...
Case studies
CAS comes good on safety - central auto supplies
The Wellingborough-based auto parts supplier has seen many benefits after launching a new initiative. Ashley Martin reports...
Arval’s journey from, ‘zero to hero’
How did a company with a significant risk exposure change its ways and become a ‘Business Champion’? Ashley Martin reports...
T-Mobile takes the green road to safety
Mobile services phone and data providers T-Mobile has seen huge financial savings and improved the safety of its employees after equipping 250 vehicles with technology to monitor driver behaviour...
VIP viewpoint
There’s no quick fix to safer roads
Only through education will more companies be encouraged to implement occupational road risk management initiatives, according to Rob Gifford, executive director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety. Here he speaks to Ashley Martin...
Manufacturers' round up
Anti-crash technology hailed as ‘a massive breakthrough’
NEW safety technology being fitted to a handful of vehicles designed to stop them crashing has been hailed as a ‘massive breakthrough’ by Thatcham, the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre...
Euro NCAP
Changes will stop Euro NCAP ‘cherry picking’
RADICAL changes to the European New Car Assessment Programme designed to stop vehicle manufacturers ‘cherrypicking’ the best aspects of their results in adverts are to be revealed in August...
Legislation update
New crackdown on mobile phones on the move
THE Government has launched a major new campaign to crack down on mobile phone use while driving...
Warning over ‘lifestylers’
Company car drivers opting for larger ‘lifestyle’ choice vehicles to cater for interests including caravanning, water or equestrian sports that involve pulling horse boxes or large trailers could find themselves having to undergo compulsory driver training or even re-sit a HGV-style test when new European Union regulations come into force in 2013, according to fleet management company Masterlease...
Daytime headlights ahead for all
ALL new cars are to be fitted with automatic daytime headlights within four years as the UK Government falls into line with a European Union directive...
ESC ahead for all trucks and coaches
The safety of European registered trucks and tourist coaches will be improved as a result of an agreement reached at a United Nations meeting in Geneva to equip new vehicles with electronic stability control (ESC) systems...
Opinion
Why tyres are crucial to road safety
Road safety is compromised because millions of vehicles are being driven on the UK’s roads with defective tyres. Rob Beddis, chairman of Tyre- Safe, calls for motorists to focus on regular check...
Weigh up or face the law
The number of vans stopped on the UK’s roads for being overladen is on the increase. Barry Illing, managing director of consultancy-based service provider Roadfleet Forte, provides a guide to compliance...
Special feature
One third of firms at risk of breaking the law
Cambridgeshire County Council is holding a series of seminars to help companies compile their own workrelated road safety policies as part of the Government’s ‘Driving for Better Business’ programme. Ashley Martin reports...
Council is a new ‘business champion’
Cambridgeshire County Council is a ‘business champion’ after implementing a work-related road safety strategy in 2002 that saw a 50% cut in collision claims up to the end of 2005...
RoadSafe to expand ‘Business Champions’ programme
ROADSAFE is to expand the ‘business champions’ programme in 2008 by targeting a wide-range of companies and business organisations...
2008 – the year of getting tough
A pioneering Metropolitan Police health and safety at-work driving questionnaire could become a model for nationwide adoption, says Michael Kemp...
Road to safety – why drivers MUST read the new Highway Code
The Highway Code, the official guide to using the roads safely and legally, has undergone its first significant revision in eight years. John Maslen highlights some of the key changes and explains why it should be essential reading for all drivers...
Happy birthday, little life saver!
It is 30 years since anti-lock brake technology debuted on a car – the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The safety system has subsequently led to the introduction of a variety of other life-saving technologies that are now appearing on vehicles. John Maslen reports...
Old foe is now a friend
In-vehicle tracking technology was historically known as a ‘spy in the cab’. But, as JOHN MASLEN reports, telematics technology has become a driver’s ‘best friend’...