The Company for driver risk management

FREE TRAINING

Drive & Survive is supplying trainers for the Safe & Fuel Efficient Driving (SAFED) scheme being run by the Department for Transport. Under the terms of the scheme, companies of up to 250 employees can receive a one day training course FREE OF CHARGE, thanks to the generosity of the DfT. For companies with over 250 employees the cost is only £50 per head.

Not only is the course itself of little or no cost but drivers who put into practice the techniques learned will save their employers a fortune in fuel, repair and maintenance costs. The pilot phase of the scheme confirmed that it was possible to achieve a 14% fuel saving as well as a 1.5% reduction in journey time, and a 56% reduction in driver faults of type that often lead to expensive on-road incidents.

To book your course just contact the Emily Nafzger on 0870 1218339 or email to emily.nafzger@drivesurvive.co.uk, in both cases making it quite clear that you require a SAFED course.

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U.S. TAKES A LEAD

Following the overwhelming endorsement of the potentially life-saving safety device, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), by the Insurance Industry Research unit at Thatcham, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Authority has announced that the Bosch-invented equipment will be a mandatory requirement for all ‘light cars’ sold from 2008 onwards. David Fulker of Bosch UK said: “This is obviously great news for American motorists and we hope that drivers in the UK take note of Thatcham’s safety advice and push the fleet vehicle suppliers into making ESC more widely available here. Currently the UK has almost the lowest take-up of ESC in Europe”.

As we said in the last newsletter, Drive & Survive now has a Chassis Technology Course which attempts to cover the features and benefits of this, and other, safety aids in an informative and non technical manner for only £145 per head. For more information call the Customer Services team on 0870 1218339 or email enquiries@drivesurvive.co.uk.

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HUMAN ERROR

The latest DfT figures reveal that only 5% of drivers involved in collisions were breaking the speed limit at the time, somewhat undermining the premise that speed is a major cause of crashes. In fact, unsurprisingly for those of us in the driver risk management industry, the two most common causes of crashes were ‘failing to look properly’ and ‘failing to judge another vehicle’s speed’.

Overall ‘driver error’ was cited as a principal cause in five out of six cases, which just goes to prove that, no matter what advances are made with vehicle safety, road surfaces or information systems, the driver will always be the weakest link.

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SUPPORT FROM THE LEASING INDUSTRY

According to research by LeasePlan, one in ten company car drivers submit insurance claims as a result of hitting a stationary object. Sarah Easton of LeasePlan commented “Our figures show that a high proportion of accidents involve simple driver errors – errors which could be avoided through such steps as more effective driver training”.

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BLACK, ROUND AND VITAL

A recent investigation by Lloyds TSB Autolease revealed that 26% of a 730 vehicle fleet had tyres at or below a 2mm tread depth, meaning that 191 vehicles had between 250 and 500 miles to go before they were effectively being driven illegally. Think about it – that could be just one day’s work mileage.

At Drive & Survive our own experience is similar – in 2005 we had to abort 13% of our on-road driver training sessions because the vehicle inspection revealed at least one illegal tyre on the participant’s vehicle.

Chris Wakley is the spokesman for the Tyre Industry Council: “In conjunction with the regional police forces we run roadside tyre checks and the incidence of company-owned vehicles with illegal tyres is, surprisingly, higher than that for private cars. Fleets really must address this problem urgently. It’s a huge safety issue”.

A recent Auto Express test revealed that the stopping distance for a Ford Focus with tyres at the minimum legal tread depth of 1.6 mm travelling at 70 mph was 135 metres but with tyres at 3mm tread depth this figure dropped to only 91 metres.

Sadly too many drivers take tyres for granted, which is why we spend considerable time in our workshops emphasising their vital role in driver safety in an interesting way.

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HAPPY CUSTOMER

“I was a little sceptical as to what difference this training would actually make on my driving skill, given that I‘ve been driving for twenty years but I have to say that the session has genuinely opened my eyes to a new approach to driving that I was unaware of”.           

Mike Battie of Shell UK Oil Products, following an on-road training session with Drive & Survive trainer Tim Hicks.

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SPEND TO SAVE

Presenting at a recent conference entitled ‘Duty of Care in the Public Sector’, John Kelly of GE Fleet Services made a compulsive case for the adoption of a risk management programme. He suggested that a typical 750 vehicle fleet would experience 300 incidents per year, which, at an average ‘bent metal cost’ of £855 equates to an outlay of £256,500.

By contrast he stated that a programme of interventions to comply with the employer’s duty of care would cost only £110,000.

“These figures are obviously highly convincing in themselves but actually we have only used the basic vehicle repair cost”, said Kelly. “It is generally accepted in the industry that the true cost of an incident is somewhere between four and twenty four times the base cost. On this basis it will clearly not take long to see a solid return on one’s investment”.

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SLIP SLIDING AWAY

This is the time of year to see if any of your fleet drivers could benefit from a Skid Cause & Prevention course. These courses are designed to inform drivers about the reasons for skids occurring and then equip them with the skills to avoid getting into a skid in the first place.

We usually deliver these at our Track & Training facility in Warwickshire but, subject to finding a suitable location and sufficient participants to take part, we can hold these courses just about anywhere in the UK.

For more information contact our Customer Services team on 0870 1218339 or via email on enquiries@drivesurvive.co.uk

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WORKSHOP PLACES STILL AVAILABLE

There are still a few places available for our Aberdeen Driver Safety Workshop on October 12th.  Lots of “I never knew that” factor for just £45! To book your place contact workshop@drivesurvive.co.uk or call Jay Wilson on 0870 1218339.

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TRUCKER TROUBLE

A 51 year old German lorry driver has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, following a horrendous pile up on the M6 in Staffordshire, in which three men and a woman were killed. We wonder what the situation would be if it were a British driver and the soon-to-ratified Corporate Killing Bill was in place. Food for thought.

As we’ve said in the past, make a point of spotting foreign left hand drive trucks and never allow yourself to be trapped in a ‘three in a row’ situation on a motorway, where you have no escape route if the truck makes a sudden, unexpected manoeuvre.

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