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DfT launches campaigns to cut the risks of driving vans
Page 12
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Tough deadlines, distractions, stress, tiredness and a lack of regulation all pose a risk to drivers of light CVs. Roanna Avison reports.
HE GOVERNMENT has aunched a series of initiatives to mprove safety among van drivers )y persuading them to tackle stress Ind the distractions of the job.
The 'THINK! Driving for Work' and 'THINK! Mobile ?hones' campaigns aim to ighlight the hazards drivers face — such as answering mobile phones and stress and fatigue — while encouraging them and their employers to better plan journeys in order to reduce speeding.
Launching these campaigns, Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman said: "Tough deadlines can push you over the speed limit and distractions such as the boss calling you on your mobile can take your attention off the road."
Both campaigns will be based around advertising targeted at drivers on the radio and messages in services station washrooms and on cafe sandwich bags.
The Department for Transport is also rolling out the 'Driving for Work Business Champions' initiative, highlighting the fact that a cab in a van is the driver's workplace where workplace safety should be paramount.
Chrys Rampley, manager for infrastructure at the Road Haulage Association, says the initiative is positive because many van drivers currently go unregulated:"When compared with LGV drivers who have tacho and drivers' hours regs, there's almost nothing for van drivers, although fleet operators will have policies in place."
She adds that the aim is to improve the behaviour of van drivers because they have a "bit of a reputation" with the public.
Jon Rudoe, head of trading and marketing at Ocado, which runs more than 400 vans, says the company supports the initiative although it already had policies in place to address these issues.
"We train and brief our van drivers extensively on the laws of using mobile phones in the van and best practices for making and receiving calls if necessary.
"The routes that our drivers make are planned for them by complicated routing software and shown to drivers on state-of-theart satellite navigation devices rather than relying on physical maps or similar," he adds.
"Both our recruiting and training practices are extremely important to us as road and driving safety is a very important issue."