THE company for driver risk management

FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONTEMPT

Data from a leading insurer suggests that incident rates increase when drivers are on roads that they regularly use, such as the commute to and from work.  Unsurprisingly the statistics confirm that the ‘autopilot’ syndrome cuts the speed of reaction to any incident that happens on familiar territory.

Few people have the luxury of a choice of route to and from work to provide much needed variation, so it is vital to remind drivers from time to time to engage brain before they set off and then maintain concentration at all costs thereafter.

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NEW PENALTIES

On September 24th some of the new penalties under the provision of the Road Safety Act 2006 came into force for the first time.

The penalty for careless driving - newly defined as ‘driving in a way which falls below what would be expected of a competent and careful driver’ - increased from £2,500 to £5,000.  Also the penalty for failing to provide information about the identity of a driver rises from three points to six.

Later this autumn the Crown Prosecution Service will be publishing new guidelines which effectively make ‘dangerous driving’ the prosecution of choice for those who cause crashes as a result of being on a mobile phone, hands-free or not.  If this development gets the publicity it deserves (a dangerous driving offence is imprisonable) it might create the wake-up call that many, many drivers on UK roads clearly still need.

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DOZY DRIVERS

In a recent survey of 1000 drivers, some 78% admitted to using a range of ineffective measures to combat tiredness whilst driving, such as winding the window down or turning the volume up on the radio.  Although Drive & Survive, and many other safety organisations, issue guidelines on avoiding fatigue (see www.drivesurvive.co.uk/information-safety-guidance.asp) there are obviously thousands of drivers ignoring the advice and taking huge risks.

So it’s worth remembering that, even if you are doing all the right things behind the wheel, the guy coming towards you may well be heading towards the land of nod so it pays to treat everybody else’s capability with suspicion. In fact good defensive driving encourages us to take responsibility for everybody’s on-road behaviour, not just our own.

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NEW HIGHWAY CODE

The new version of the Highway Code, trailed in this newsletter earlier in the year, is now available.

For experienced business drivers it is worth pointing out that smoking whilst driving is now officially recognised as being a distraction and will be considered as a potentially contributing cause in possible ‘driving without due care and attention’ cases.

Also, the ‘merge-in’ turn at roadworks is being actively encouraged for the first time, something that the IAM has long supported. All too often road signs suggest that drivers should form a single line far too far from the site of the merge, which causes lengthy and unnecessary tailbacks.

Copies of the new publication can be obtained from www.tsoshop.co.uk/highwaycode or can be downloaded from www.direct.gov.uk/highwaycode.

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TYRE SAFETY MONTH

October is Tyre Safety Month and the national campaign hopes to raise awareness of the vital contribution that tyres make to road safety.  Although modern tyres retain their pressures and are much more puncture resistant than they used to be even ten years ago, it is essential that they be subject to at least a weekly check.

If you consider that the area of each tyre in contact with the road is little bigger than the sole of your shoe, you begin to realise how important it is for them to be operating at their best, particularly as we approach autumn.

For more information please see www.tyresafe.org

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USEFUL WEBSITE

If you need clarification on any aspect of UK motoring law www.driving-law.co.uk is worth adding to your favourites list.

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SAFETY TECHNOLOGY

Ford is playing a major part in ground-breaking development of the on-board safety systems of the future.  Part of the work revolves around a path prediction system which helps deploy active safety systems on frequently driven routes.

The so-called PReVENT project stores and refers to data collected from the vehicle’s satnav system.  Once on one of your regular routes the computer will recognise it and automatically activate such items at adaptive headlights, adaptive suspension and lane departure warning.

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ANOTHER IRRESISTABLE OFFER

On a car allowance or cash for car scheme? How about this great deal from our friends at AFL.

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STAFF SPOTLIGHT

In this edition the Spotlight falls on our Training Manager, Mark Edwards.
How long with Drive & Survive? 13 years (with a two year interlude at the IAM in the middle!)
Job function: Training, Quality & Product Manager
Any amusing instances whilst at work? None that should really be made public in such an august publication
Home town: Witney.
Where were you born? London.
Brothers/sisters: One brother, Ben, who is a Motorsport commentator.
Father’s occupation? Barrister/Hotel owner.
Mother’s occupation? Farmer.
Partner’s name? Jo.
Do you have children, if so how many and names? One son, Ewan, 15 years old.
Hobbies/interests: Driving, boating, internet.
Do you speak any foreign languages? Oui!
Do you play any musical instruments? Drums and percussion.
Favourite film? Apocalypse Now.
Favourite music/band? Steely Dan, Eagles.
Favourite food? Indian….Roasts.
Favourite shop? Local Spa.
Favourite sport? Motor racing.
Do you watch or take part in the above? Yes and not now.
Location of your last holiday? Devon.
Your dream holiday location? Not Devon.
Your favourite city visited so far? Sydney.
Favourite TV programme? Newsnight.
Favourite book? Hitchhiker’s Trilogy.
What newspaper do you read? The Telegraph crossword!
What car do you normally drive? Mini Cooper or Ford Cougar.
Do you think the motorway speed limit should be raised? Yes.
Do you think raising the driving age limit from 17 to 18 will help? Not as much as a more structured and comprehensive pre-driver training system.
Do you agree with pay-per-mile road pricing if road tax was abolished? Providing it was fairly applied and did not add to motorists’ already high financial burden.
What aspect of bad driving most annoys you? Lack of risk awareness.

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WORDS OF WISDOM FROM OUR TRAINING MANAGER

Signals (of every kind) show your intention to do something. They don’t confer a right to do anything. Clear and unambiguous signals are best given after consideration of the circumstances and not as an automatic response. Remember that the only thing someone else’s flashing indicator tells you is that the bulb is working!

We behave quite differently as pedestrians and drivers. As pedestrians we rarely, if ever, run to join a queue (for example at a bus stop) but as drivers we don’t seem to feel comfortable if we are not apparently making progress…… even if that means charging up to a line of stationary vehicles.

As a pedestrian, nine times out of ten you’d apologise if you interfered with the progress of another.  Would you feel the same if you were driving?

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