How educating drivers can cut fleet bills, fleet news

“If safety is not a good measure when motivating fleet drivers to continue driving economically, the cost will no doubt be a key driver. Saving money registers more with people,” Smalley concludes.

BT Fleet’s Health and Safety Group identified driving as its biggest and most expensive risk during 2003.

As a result, the company looked towards a risk management solution in partnership with RoSPA.

SAFED driver training was introduced as a core initiative to improve driver safety and fuel consumption, along with an online risk assessment programme.

“SAFED training makes sense for safety, financial and environmental reasons. Driving economically uses less fuel and helps with safety,” explains Tony Holt, BT’s travel safety expert.

“The training focuses on the development of a smooth driving style and keeping within the speed limit, both of which mean fewer trips to the fuel pump.

"SAFED techniques can also reduce wear and tear on the vehicle, cutting maintenance and repair costs.”

Drivers who completed the SAFED programme achieved an average 16% improvement in miles per gallon.

“If everybody takes eco driving into account, companies are looking at 5% and above savings. For companies with large fleets, this could add up to a substantial sum,” Holt adds.

Holt agrees that eco driving promotes a safer driving style. He says: “Driving economically means driving more sensibly, with less harsh braking or quick acceleration. If this is observed, the roads will be safer.”

Driver training was originally targeted towards making drivers safer on the roads. The current economic situation has moved economy driving further up the agenda.

Using the SAFED training programme with RoSPA, BT collectively reduced accident rates by 30% and halved the cost to the company.

If fleets need to justify spending money on eco driver training, there is a range of evidence which supports the cost advantages.

In today’s economic climate, reducing fuel expenditure and accident management costs could bring some welcome financial relief to companies.

Case study: Fleet News

Smarter Driver Training came to Fleet News to give us an eco driving lesson.

What was surprising was how the smallest of changes to driving style can make a significant difference to the car’s fuel efficiency.

The individual in-car lessons last 50 minutes.

Drivers go around a 15-20 minute route twice, the second with the trainer guiding you.

I achieved a 16% mpg improvement on my second attempt (up from 49mpg to 57mpg), predominantly by keeping a sizable gap from the car in front.

By doing this I could prepare further in advance for traffic lights and roundabouts to prevent stopping, step off the accelerator a few seconds earlier to reduce braking and change into higher gears before hitting 2000rpm.

My average journey speed was virtually unchanged at just under 22mph.

One of the drivers in the group achieved a 35% improvement on her second run, saving a potential £750 a year on her annual 22,000 mileage.

Many people are guilty of slipping into auto pilot while they drive. Not only can driving more economically help to improve mpg, it also makes drivers think more about the road ahead, which makes for a safer driver.

People can be sceptical when it comes to the benefits of eco driving training.

But the training is targeted towards driving style and practical learning rather than how to make the car itself more economical.

Practical learning is not something you can read in a manual.

And eco training can really put things into perspective for drivers.

The benefits are tangible – you can almost see the savings mount up, especially if you travel a lot of miles.

Go to fleetnews.co.uk/eco-driving-results/ to see the test results in detail

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