Winter 2008
Foreword
Foreword
Ashley Martin, Editor of RoadSafe...
News
Champions get down to business
‘Driving for Better Business’ is a Department for Transport programme aimed at establishing a network of employers and ‘business champions’ to promote good practice to cut the number of road crashes involving at-work drivers. ASHLEY MARTIN reports on the latest award-winning developments...
Council pledge
Cambridgeshire County Council has pledged to continue to educate local companies about the importance of effectively managing occupational road risk following the ending of the Department for Transport pilot ‘Road Safety: We Mean Business’ programme...
ECA puts a spark in safety programme
THE Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) has become one of the first trade associations in the country to back the Government’s road safety-focused ‘Driving for Better Business’ programme...
Award for Arval
ARVAL has won the Fleet Service Award in the 2008 Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards for “the high standard of its own safety management and the dedication offered to the improvement of the safety of their customers”...
Fatality figures may be understated
UP TO 1,000 fatalities may have been left out of official statistics for workplace deaths in Britain as measured by the Health and Safety Executive thereby undermining moves to increase occupational road risk management, it has been claimed...
Firms asked to help in young drivers’ safety study
EMPLOYERS are being asked to take part in a major research study aimed at helping young drivers to stay safe when they are on the road as part of their job...
Young get experience
MERCEDES-Benz World is working to reduce the number of road deaths caused by collisions involving young drivers...
In Brief
Various news stories...
Simulator is a first
Beatty Plant & Fleet Services has become possibly the first enduser fleet in the country to launch its own state-of-the-art driving simulator to reduce the risk of crashes and improve vehicle fuel efficiency...
Speed limiters could pave way for fleet crash reduction
THE Government should be more pro-active in fitting proven safety features to its fleet vehicles, thereby paving the way for their widespread adoption by businesses to help reduce work-related road casualties...
Fleets need a driving policy warns IAM Commercial
THE Government’s newly announced proposals to crack down on reckless driving reinforces the need for fleets to have a company driving policy, according to IAM Commercial...
Global mission earns Thatcham a Prince Michael Award
A MISSION to ensure that ‘globally, vehicles are repaired safely, crash injuries are minimised and vehicle theft is eradicated’ has secured The Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre, Thatcham, the top Prince Michael International Road Safety Award 2008...
Call for better road design
ROAD design is crucial in cutting Britain’s road casualties and the global road death toll of 1.2 million people to zero, according to John Dawson, chairman of the UK’s Campaign for Safe Road Design...
New vans see Kidds take safety message to the streets
SAFETY-focused Kidds Distribution Services is taking the road safety message to the streets...
TTC launches campaign as 20 professionals die a week
TWENTY professional drivers die every seven days on the UK’s roads – and now a nationwide ‘drive safely at work campaign’ has been launched by driver training and education specialist, the TTC Group, to cut the toll...
‘Grey’ fleet firms wasting millions
Organisations continuing to allow employees to drive their own cars on business could collectively be wasting millions of pounds because they are ignoring safer, more environmentally-friendly and more cost-effective alternatives...
Mobile texters slated
Drivers who text while on the move are playing with their lives, companies have been warned, after new research showed the practice is as dangerous as being drunk or high on drugs behind the wheel...
Drivers urged to make checks in winter
ROAD casualties peak in the winter months with many crashes caused by vehicles not being in tip-top condition and drivers ignoring severe weather warnings...
Case studies
TNT’s safety strategy goes worldwide
Trying to establish safety standards across 200-plus countries is a logistical nightmare – but it’s something that global courier TNT Express is attempting to do. ASHLEY MART IN reports...
One million miles free of accidents!
A safety campaign driven by the managing director at Chamberlain Doors has given the firm’s fleet accident-free driving for one million miles...
Tough approach pays dividends at SSE
STRICT limits on business mileage and driving suspensions for employees who cause crashes or break the law are making a difference at Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE), one of the largest energy companies in the UK...
Manufacturers' round up
Car makers reject call for extra estate car safety
By Maurice Glover - Vehicle manufacturers have rejected a fleet industry call to build higher safety reserves into estate cars...
News in Brief
Various stories...
Euro NCAP
Major changes ahead for crash tests
European new car crash tests are to be given a major overhaul in 2009 with ESC becoming a focal point to achieve top results, reports Ashley Martin...
Legislation update
Jail threat for rogue fleet operators
ROGUE company directors and managers – including fleet operators – that turn a blind eye to occupational road risk management could find themselves being jailed for up to two years following implementation of the Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008...
Graphic images reinforce seat belt message
BELT-UP. That is the latest road safety message from the Government as it reminds drivers and vehicle occupants that one life could be saved each day if everyone used a seat belt every time they get in a car...
Daytime running lights ahead for UK’s cars and small vans
ALL new cars and small delivery vans on sale will be manufactured with daytime running lights from February 7, 2011 with trucks and buses following suit in August 2012...
Tougher sentences ahead for drivers who kill
DRIVERS who kill are to be given tougher sentences that could result in a maximum 14 years in prison, following the publication of new guidance to judges and magistrates by the Sentencing Guidelines Council...
In Brief
Various legislation stories...
Opinion
The right data will ease traffic chaos
Traffic information is the key to safer free flowing roads, says former Transport Minister STEPHEN LADYMAN MP, who is also an adviser to ITIS Holdings...
We need roads fit for people
Accidents are not accidents. They are incidents arising from conflicts contrived by the rules and design of the road, argues Martin Cassini, of FiT Roads...
Act now or face risk of prosecution
Informed opinion suggests that the first company to be prosecuted under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act maybe appearing in court in the not too distant future. Therefore, says Gary Killeen, commercial director, GE Capital Solutions, Fleet Services, businesses need to face up to the law...
Special feature
Is this the end of the dash as we know it?
Jet fighter cockpit design is the catalyst for sophisticated new dashboard designs aimed at keeping drivers safely focused on the road ahead, explains Maurice Glover...
Distraction claims are widely accepted by experts
Claims that info-entertainment systems can prove to be dangerous distractions for drivers might be impossible to prove – but they are still widely accepted by safety organisations, says Gavin Jones, head of risk management at fleet specialist Masterlease...
Danger lurks amid those familiar dashboard items
ALMOST half of UK motorists are seriously distracted by in-car technology while driving putting their safety and that of other road users at risk, according to RAC...
Search for the crashless car
Safety-focused Volvo has set 2020 as the deadline for manufacturing ‘uncrashable’ cars putting an end to death and injury on the roads. Maurice Glover reports...
City Safety drastically reduces the risk of impacts
Volvo says that 75% of accidents happen at low speed and officials claim the company’s City Safety technology – a world-first standard feature on the XC60 – drastically reduces the risk of impacts at low speed impacts...
Figures will rise if no action taken
Every year, around 1.2 million people are killed and more than 50 million injured in traffic accidents, according to the World Health Organisation – and officials say both figures will rise if no action is taken...
Understanding safety systems
Porsche has opened its unique Driving Experience Centre – a hi-tech complex designed to ensure a harmonious relationship between man and machine. RoadSafe editor Ashley Martin explains why it’s important that drivers should understand the life-saving attributes of their vehicles...
Test of the times
The firm that’s responsible for delivering to McDonald’s 1,200 restaurants is using psychometric testing to ensure it hires only the safest drivers. ASHLEY MARTIN reports...
Education drive to win over speeding motorists
A driver’s eye view of the battle to win hearts and minds to improve safety by JOHN MASLEN...
It’s quicker but are the high risks worth it?
Businesses are increasingly turning to motorbikes to deliver improved customer service, but training and risk management is crucial if riders are not to become another crash statistic in Britain’s highest-risk road user group, reports John Maslen...