Accident management - Page 76

Six vehicle hire companies have signed up to support a new campaign to encourage their employees and consumers to wear their seatbelt every time they get in any vehicle.

Three in every five fleets continue to allow their drivers to use hands-free phones while driving, preferring to offer guidelines on their use rather than imposing an outright ban.

Road safety charity Brake has launched a new website providing fleet safety advice, information and resources.

A leading safety expert has joined the fray over the use of hands-free mobile phones behind the wheel with a warning that they are just the ‘thin end of the wedge’ in the battle for improved safety on the road.

Home delivery company, Hermes, has seen £1 million in cost savings in the last 12 months, after introducing a range of safe-driving measures.

Analysis by Direct Line has identified the UK's top ten ‘crash for cash' hotspots

As part of its road safety programme, volunteer Arval employees are trialling an innovative seatbelt enhancement device to assess its safety and posture benefits.

Fleet News has linked up with the FIA Foundation on a European survey to establish views from fleet operators about safety and assistance systems.

Despite what fleet managers may think, size is not important. The benefits of improving the safety of a company’s drivers are the same if a fleet is five or 5,000 vehicles.

The leadership teams of both AA DriveTech and a2om International have announced a formal partnership focused on delivering online risk assessment and e-learning technology to the corporate fleet management world.

Risk management and duty of care return to the top of the agenda for fleets, according to the latest Company Car Trends report from GE Capital’s Fleet Services business.

Latest business champions prove that size really doesn't matter when it comes to safety

Switching to specialist rubber when the temperature falls can keep drivers on the road

ATS Euromaster has been accredited by the Contractors Health and Safety Scheme (CHAS), a local authority and government-backed initiative for health and safety pre-qualification in the UK.

Calls are mounting for a ban on the use of hands-free phones while driving after new research revealed their use was detrimental to the performance of 97.5% of drivers.

A majority of fleets want the rules changed so road crashes involving at-work drivers would be reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), according to a Fleet News poll.

Implementation of a comprehensive occupational road risk management strategy coupled with a targeted drive to reduce vehicle use has resulted in Essex County Council becoming the latest organisation to achieve ‘business champion’ status from the Government-backed ‘Driving for Better Business’ campaign.

The deadline for entries to the Fleet Safety Forum Awards for Excellence has been extended to 30 April 2010.

New employee ‘fit notes’, which have been introduced in place of old-fashioned ‘sick notes’ will require careful monitoring if staff affected drive as part of their job.

The consequences and implications of road crashes, salary sacrifice schemes and parking regulations will be under the spotlight at ACFO’s annual Conference and AGM - the major event of the year for the UK’s leading fleet decision-maker’s organisation.

Experts at Brake's Fleet Safety Forum pass on their top tips for improving road safety

Along with the road safety and financial improvements, the programme is also expected to help reduce British Gas reduce its carbon footprint through better vehicle utilisation and more fuel-efficient driving.

Up to a third of road traffic accidents involve someone who is at work at the time. They result in more than 20 fatalities and 250 serious injuries every week.

United Utilities Operational Services’ - the UK’s largest utility company - has reduced its accident frequency by a third.

3M has a fleet of some 800 company cars used by a team of 400 sales people plus managers who receive a car as part of their remuneration package.

Arval has decided that all new company cars must have ESC fitted as standard or, if not, it will be fitted as an additional extra. Arval recognises the significance of this life-saving technology.

Work-related driving risk in Atkins is characterised by the involvement of a wide population of drivers, undertaking a variety of journey types using an extensive fleet of company-provided and privately-owned vehicles.

Thatcham, the motor insurance repair research centre, has produced guides explaining the whiplash problem and how best to avoid becoming a victim to it. The centre has also produced a guide to vehicle collision avoidance systems.

Around 10 people are killed and 50 seriously injured in drink drive crashes every week. The section advises on the drink and drug limits and explains the impact on driver performance of being over the limit

If the car is the driver’s own, he or she may dismiss the damage with a shrug. But when the car is leased or rented, someone has to pay for it, particularly if it is going to affect the resale value.

Making sure your drivers keep an accurate account of any incident they are involved in is essential for any fleet. The incident recording form template here gives you an idea how you should shape your own document.

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 cover a wide range of basic health, safety and welfare issues and apply to most workplaces. They are amended by the Quarries Regulations 1999, the Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002, the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. This gives a brief outline of the requirements of the Workplace Regulations.

This document aims to explain Health and Safety guidance, codes of practice and regulations. It is for employers and selfemployed people, but will be of interest to anyone who wants to know how health and safety law is meant to work.