Letters to Fleet News’ editor Martyn Moore.

Save money with risk management

The Fleet Safety Association welcomes the Government’s recognition of the detrimental effect that road crashes involving those who drive for business purposes have on both society and commercial life in the UK.

Association members work to a strict code of practice that effectively obliges them to provide relevant, cost-effective, appropriate and professionally deployed driver risk management pro-grammes for customers in all sectors of commerce and industry.

Almost without exception, the interventions provided by the members yield quantifiable results, both in human and financial terms.

On-road incidents, with all their associated costs, drop dramatically, fuel consumption improves and the life of wear and tear items is extended.

Employees become more confident, less stressed and even more productive as a result of the training, help and advice on offer.

Even vehicle residual values improve, thanks mainly to the absence of crash damage but also to increased mechanical sympathy being applied.

If one includes potential insurance cost reductions as well, it is perfectly feasible for a driver risk management programme to be self-funding.

All in all it is a win-win situation for any organisation grasping the nettle and going for a driver risk management programme, so long as it is with suppliers that can be trusted to deliver.

STEVE JOHNSON
Fleet Safety Association

Solution at hand for grey fleet insurance

We are insurance brokers and were appointed by the NHS in 2002 as their preferred supplier of motor fleet insurance solutions.

We also provide bespoke fleet motor insurance products to other pan-governmental organisations such as the Home Office and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

Consequently, we have read with interest your articles relating to the insurance and risk management issues surrounding grey fleets (Major failings in grey fleet policies, Fleet News, October 25).

Earlier this year we examined this issue on behalf of the NHS in England and Wales.

As a result we have now piloted the development of an insurance product specifically for the NHS with a major UK insurance company that offers competitive solutions in many of the areas highlighted by your articles.

We would be very pleased to discuss this with any of your readers.

JIM KNIGHT
Director, Brian Johnston & Co (Insurance Brokers)

Sceptical of increase in repair delays

We run a fleet of more than 30 cars.

Recently there seems to have been an increase in the number of drivers who have booked their cars into the franchised dealer for routine servicing work, then find they cannot have them back as promised due to parts not being available or the work taking longer than anticipated.

Have I been unlucky or am I being sceptical in thinking garages know the driver is running a hire car through their company and therefore gives priority to non-fleet drivers who do not have hire cars and specify that they need to collect their car that night?

PAT SINCLAIR
Volvox Group

Blame traffic officers for congestion

Like many others I am becoming increasingly frustrated by the hold-ups we suffer. It’s not only a waste of time – it costs me and my business money, too.

Over the past two or three years, I’ve noticed that these hold-ups seem to be getting worse.

The official explanation is that there are more and more cars and lorries on the roads but I’ve finally twigged what the real cause is – the Highways Agency Traffic Officers.

A few years ago, if there was a minor collision, the drivers involved simply pushed their cars to the side of the road, exchanged addresses and went on their way – if the cars were not too damaged to do so.

Nowadays you only have to get a slight bump and these officers blast up with sirens blazing and block the entire road for an hour while everything is cleared up.

And don’t tell me I’m wrong – I witnessed such an incident on the M11 just north of the M25 junction the other day. On the southbound carriageway there had been the most minor tail-end shunt you could imagine. There was an officer’s car blocking off the entire road and there must have been 12 miles of stationary traffic behind this.

Can somebody explain to me why this has started happening? I understand the need for road safety but this seems to be total overkill.

G BLOOM
Essex