Arval crash video delivers for Royal Mail

30 September 2008

The film of a hard-hitting mock crash held at fleet management giant Arval’s Swindon headquarters, which promoted the importance of road safety, has so impressed Royal Mail that the organisation is using it to support its own safety training with 190,000 employees.

Arval’s mock crash event saw the reconstruction of a car and cyclist colliding at 35 mph demonstrating the serious consequences of poor driving. Over 250 Arval staff, around 50 customers and children from local schools watched the mock crash live. Arval is a ‘business champion’ within the ‘Driving for Better Business’ programme.

Staff and 2,000 customers then received a DVD of the event to encourage safe driving. It is also available through the Arval website - www.arval.co.uk - where it can also be viewed and has been watched and played by many road safety professionals around the country.

Melvyn Hodgetts, head of safety for Royal Mail Assets said: “I saw a short clip of the Arval ‘Drive 4 Life’ DVD at the Brake awards ceremony. The next day I played the full version and was immediately impressed not only by how many people are involved at the crash scene but also the powerful message it gives about the consequences of a road traffic collision. I have seen many road safety training films before but this one had a longer lasting effect.”

He added: “I am working on the development of short work time sessions on driving safely. All of Royal Mail’s 190,000 employees receive a session like this once a week. The safety session focuses on giving the driver a conscious choice to change their driving behaviour. The Arval DVD suits this perfectly. I am confident it will have as much impact on our employees as it did on me.”

Jean-Marc Torre, Arval’s chief executive, added: “Arval is committed to road safety and we want to encourage all drivers to take safety seriously when they’re driving. I believe education and awareness is a key factor to help improve road safety. Our crash event was about demonstrating the serious consequences of driver error and to create a lasting impression in people’s minds.” 

www.arval.co.uk