SHARPEN YOUR SKILLS AND EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGE

IAM Fleet invites all readers of this newsletter to an action-packed driving day at the Prodrive proving ground facility in Warwickshire on Thursday October 11.

During the day guests will have hands-on experience of five different driving activities:

• Confined Space Parking & Manoeuvring
• Skid Recognition & Avoidance
• 4x4 Off-Road control techniques
• High Speed Emergency Avoidance and ABS optimisation
• On-Road Defensive Driving sampler

Although informative and enjoyable to take part in, all elements contain a strong driver safety message.

Tickets, which are available in limited numbers, cost only £99 inclusive of VAT, lunch and refreshments throughout the day. For further information please contact Sue Pesch on 0208 996 9712 or at sue.pesch@iamfleet.com

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BP SETS THE STANDARD

Multi national fuel and lubes giant BP has literally thousands of drivers in its employ and manages road risk on a global basis. BP’s Director of Road Safety, Ken Shaw, says “Driving is quite simply the most dangerous activity our workforce engages in and we treat the subject extremely seriously.”

The company driver safety programme - Driving Safety Standard (DSS)  - was created in 2004 and from the outset IAM Fleet was providing the training element. Since that date over 7,000 people, from the Emirates to England, have received in-vehicle practical training from IAM Fleet.

BP has gone to great lengths to stress that training is not given as a form of censure or criticism, more as a gift of a life skill which employees should be proud of. The criteria for training implementation is simple – anyone who drives more than 10,000 miles on company business is deemed to be ‘professional driver’, irrespective of their actual function, and thus qualifies for driver training. In particular anyone being given a company car has to first undergo driver training.

Although in its early days, BP’s DSS programme is achieving impressive results to date. According to BP UK’s Car Fleet Manager Simon Gates the cost savings have been a surprising additional benefit: “The cars driven by our employees in the UK tend to be high end vehicles, so repairs are invariably expensive. Driver training has markedly driven down these costs and with them the insurance premium. Still more importantly it has made our workforce less vulnerable to injury and death.

BP’s sterling efforts in the road safety field have not gone unnoticed – in 2005 the company was awarded the ultimate accolade, a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award.

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POLES APART

We moan about the standard of driving in this country but it is becoming abundantly clear that there is a huge road behaviour knowledge gap developing between those arriving from recently co-opted EU states and the native UK population.

Bill Pownall, Motor Risk Manager for Norwich Union, is very worried about the potential risk presented by employees from overseas who have not been properly vetted before being handed the keys of a company asset: “For overseas drivers it is particularly important to undertake a complete in-vehicle practical driving risk assessment, in order to determine the person’s competence to drive the vehicle and demonstrate their awareness of UK traffic law.

“Risk assessments will help fleet managers, and the individual concerned, to determine the level of competency and knowledge in all aspects related to the drivers duties, including driving safety and safe operation of any associated plant and machinery.”

IAM Fleet can of course provide both in-vehicle driver assessments and targeted UK Familiarisation courses to assist in reducing this problem. Contact the customer service team on 0845 310 8311 for more information.

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BLACK, ROUND AND IN THE NEWS

October will be national Tyre Safety Awareness month. Organised by the trade body TyreSafe, the focus of the multi media campaign will be on persuading drivers to check their tyre inflation pressures regularly, something which all readers of this newsletter will be doing weekly anyway.

In previous years TyreSafe (www.tyresafe.org) has run regional tyre check campaigns in conjunction with the police and, shockingly, some 12% of all vehicles on the road have defective tyres. Even more surprising is that anecdotal evidence from within the IAM Group would in fact put this figure some two percentage points higher amongst vehicles driven for work purposes!

Although any customer working with IAM Fleet will have tyre monitoring procedures in place, it is worth reminding drivers that they have to compensate for the irresponsibility of other drivers out there, who may not be able to stop, particularly in the wet, if their tyres are below par.

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A SIGHT FOR SORE EYES

According to a recent survey of 800 business drivers by the fleet management company Arval, almost a third are not having eye tests at the prescribed two year intervals.

A key tenet of good defensive driving is to ‘see and be seen’ so it is vital that reminders are sent out to all drivers, whether they drive on company business or not, to have their eyes tested.

Specsavers Corporate Eyecare have a range of options for streamlining the process and more details can be obtained at www.specsavers.co.uk/corporate or on 01481 232486..

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OH DEER

Most drivers have caught the occasional glimpse of a deer, particularly in rural areas, but these animals are becoming more than just a pleasant surprise – they now represent a serious hazard. In fact Peter Watson of The Deer Initiative estimates that there are somewhere between 30,000 and 50,000 road incidents a year in the UK involving deer strikes!

Recently a major incident was caused by a Roe deer wandering onto the M61. A van taking avoiding action overturned, resulting in two hour delays and 15 mile traffic tail back.

And it looks as if the problem can only get worse. In 1995 there were 300,000 deer in England but there are now estimated to be 750,000. “There is no reason why the number of deer won’t double again in the next five years,” said Peter Watson, “and this will in turn increase the number of road accidents.”

As we always say, ‘expect the unexpected’.

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SEASONAL DRIVING TIPS

With the clocks going back on Sunday 28 October, now is the ideal time to give your vehicle the “once over” to ensure it is fit for the long nights ahead.

Darker days and deteriorating weather conditions start to take their toll on the car’s headlights very quickly. Keeping them clean with a wipe over every couple of days means you will see better and, crucially, you will be seen more easily too.

Checking all the bulbs are all still working at the front and rear only takes a moment. You can sometimes do this by using reflections from shop windows, for example, when you are stuck in traffic. And if your battery is a bit sluggish starting now, it makes sense to get a new one before the cold mornings start.

Making sure that your windscreen is clear -  with a non freezing, non smearing additive top up - is essential. Remember - technically it is an offence not to have your windscreen washer working. Rubber wiper blades themselves should not smear. If they do, try giving the blades a wipe over with a small amount of vinegar on a paper towel, which might mean that you don’t need to replace them.

There are products available that help create a water resistant film across the outside of the windscreen, which improves visibility by moving water and dirt away.  Quite often a film builds up on the inside of the screen as well, which makes driving at night feel like you are dealing with a series of oncoming blurs, so regular wiping is highly recommended.

The onset of autumn leaves and winter weather will also mean your tyres need to be up to scratch. And are they damaged or worn? Are the pressures correct? Although the legal requirement is a minimum of 1.6mm tread depth you will feel safer with at least 3mm in winter conditions.

These pre-winter checks don’t take long to do but could mean that you and your car are safer on the road.

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GET LOST

Satnav units have exploded in popularity due to increased reliability and keener pricing, and are also being fitted increasingly as original equipment in vehicles, so they are clearly here to stay. As huge numbers are being stolen (13,000 were stolen in London alone in 2006) and there has been a rise in the number of incidents occurring due to the distraction effects of satnavs, the IAM have produced this guidance for their sensible use:

• Think about the position of the unit: to comply with the Road Traffic Act’s Construction and Use regulations, the satellite navigation unit must not be located anywhere within the sweep of the windscreen wipers or anywhere else that would cause obstruction to the clear vision of the driver
• Also avoid anywhere where an airbag could be deployed
• Programme it before you set off, not while you are driving
• Have a map as a fall back: remember the satellite navigation equipment in not infallible so do have some idea of your route before you set out
• If the unit asks you to do something that is clearly wrong (driving through a field, for example) then disregard that advice; it is a tool to help, not a substitute for common sense 
• Take particular care if you are driving a hired vehicle that is larger than one you are used to. Weight/height restrictions apply and can affect your optimum route
• Use the audible instruction to guide you (don’t try to read it)
• Remove the unit before leaving the vehicle.  Insurance cover may be invalid if reasonable precautions have not been taken to reduce the risk of theft
• Make sure that a visible “ring” left by a windscreen mounted bracket is removed from the windscreen – it’s a giveaway for thieves
• Don’t programme in your “home” details; thieves have been known to use these once they have stolen the satnav unit to commit further offences
• If you need to programme an alternative route to avoid congestion, then pull up somewhere safe to do it.  Do not attempt to re-programme the unit while driving

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VULNERABLE WORKERS

Although one of the safest places to be on British roads, motorways do require high degrees of concentration and judgement. One of the many facts to come to light during the recent ‘Motorway Month’ campaign was the fact that two workers were killed and 19 seriously injured in motorway road works during 2006.

As a result the Highways Agency has put out this advice:

• Keep within the speed limit - it is there for your safety.
• Get into the correct lane in good time - don't keep switching.
• Concentrate on the road ahead, not the roadworks.
• Be alert for works' traffic leaving or entering roadworks.
• Keep a safe distance - there could be queues in front.
• Observe all signs - they are there to help you.

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UNTRAINED MANAGER KILLS FATHER OF FIVE

A Royal Mail manager, drafted in to drive an HGV during a postal strike, despite not having any previous experience or training, has been bailed on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, after he collided with a van being driven by a man who later died in hospital of his injuries.

This just goes to prove that somebody may have a licence allowing a particular vehicle to be driven but it does not mean they are competent.

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GREEN MACHINES

Various dignitaries and politicians were given the opportunity to sample the latest hybrid car offerings recently at an event held in London, where these eco-friendly vehicles enjoy a congestion charge free existence.

But of course, as we all know, the car is only one half of the equation when is comes to eking out that last drop of fuel and reducing the resultant emissions. The driver has a vital part to play of course and that was the point that IAM Fleet was making when it promoted its fuel economy driving course at the event. IAM Fleet Head of Training, Lloyd Brown, also carried out the drivers’ safety briefing that day.

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RULES OF THE ROAD

No matter how good your claims record, we reckon that 90% of your fleet drivers will not have consulted the Highway Code since they passed their test.

There is a new version of this important publication due to be published in the autumn and it would be a good idea to order a stock and issue them to your drivers. As an incentive for them to actually read the 307 rules of the road, several of which are new or revised, why not run a competition and offer a prize for the winner?

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APPRECIATIVE CUSTOMERS

From Robert Mason, BP, commenting on IAM Fleet instructor Nigel Maplethorpe
“…Nigel was an excellent instructor and coach, who has helped identify some excellent enhancements to my driving capabilities in a professional and proficient manner. There is no area which I could see to improve the theory or practical parts of the course.”

From Linda Newsome-Ray, BP, commenting on IAM Fleet instructor Ian McGibbon
“….I really enjoyed the training. I found it very useful, in fact it was a bit of an eye opener in places and I thought Ian was an excellent instructor.”

FACTS AND FIGURES

The latest DfT casualty statistics (for 2006):

USEFUL LINKS

THE IAM FLEET TEAM

Sales team and account management
Sue Pesch	Derek Camp	Iain Stuart	Malcolm Thorne	Andy Bolton	Richard Kitching
Sales Support
Rosie Flynn	Geraldine Morley	Barbara Dudley	Helen Edwards	Natasha Liverpool - Peters	Elliot Tucker
Julie Johnson	Stephanie Moran
Training
Lloyd Brown	Simon Elstow