Speeding, Weather Warnings and Corporate Responsibility. Fleet Voice
As the latest £1.4m THINK! campaign is launched, it has been somewhat put in the shade thanks to a high profile case on speeding. According to the BBC Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole has been found guilty of driving at 104mph in a 50mph zone in south-west London. The player, from Godalming, Surrey, was caught speeding in his Lamborghini on the A3 in Kingston just after midday on 17 November 2008.
As the authorities try to warn you, the fleet manager, that your drivers need to slow down, this latest case shows that there are many in public life whom are not taking heed of these warnings.
This case has already sparked a frenzy on social networking sites with groups set up to get Cole banned from driving due to the speed that he was travelling at in an urban area.
The THINK campaign’s message is that if you kill someone while speeding you will be tormented by it forever. In the television advert a driver is haunted by images of the child he has killed – seeing his body in the bathroom mirror, through the window of a bus and when in the park with his son.
Paul Clark, Road Safety Minister, said: “Speed kills. Nearly 600 people were killed in 2008 in accidents where someone was driving too fast. This campaign highlights the consequences of speeding for the driver involved: what is life like for the driver who kills because they are in a rush to get home and how does that split second decision affect the rest of their life? I hope this campaign will get drivers to kill their speed before it’s too late.”
It is not just speed that is causing chaos on the transport network as you all return from the Christmas break. The weather has been playing havoc as snow and ice are continuing to make roads treacherous.
The Met office has claimed that the big freeze will last at least until the end of the week, which means fleets could would be advised to book drivers into a little driver training. How many of your drivers are confident drivers in these conditions?
Although you may see driver training as an unnecessary expense, it may save you a lot of money in the long run as damage to cars in this weather could be high.
There is one way to relax when travelling, if your fleet needs to travel to Northern Ireland, make sure you send them across on Stena and book them into Stena Plus. Your drivers will be refreshed when they come off on the other side and ready to drive to their destination and you will be looking after your corporate responsibility side of things. Fresh drivers are happy drivers.
The advice you should be giving your drivers is as follows if they are driving in wintry conditions:
Before snow or ice
• If you have to make a journey when snow is forecast, make sure you have warm clothes, food, water, boots, a torch and spade, and let someone know when you expect to arrive and your route. Try to wait until the roads have been gritted before travelling.
• Put grit or cat litter on paths and driveways to lessen the risk of slipping on compacted snow.
• Check on vulnerable neighbours.
During snow or ice
• Avoid travel if possible.
• If you must drive check the Highway Code for advice on driving in ice and snowy weather. A summary of the advice is: Take care around gritters. Don’t be tempted to overtake. Slow down — it can take 10 times longer to stop in snowy or icy conditions, so allow extra room. Use the highest gear possible to avoid wheel spin. Manoeuvre gently and avoid harsh braking and acceleration. If you start to skid, gently ease off the accelerator and avoid braking. If braking is necessary, pump the brakes don’t slam them on. If you get stuck, stay with your car and tie something brightly coloured to your aerial.
• If you go outside wear several layers of clothing and keep dry to prevent loss of body heat. Watch out for signs of hypothermia — uncontrollable shivering, slow/slurred speech, memory lapse and drowsiness and frostbite — loss of feeling in and pale appearance of fingers, toes, nose and ear lobes. Keep moving your arms and legs to help the blood circulate.
After snow and ice
• Be careful when walking or driving on compacted snow — it may have turned to ice.
• Take care when shovelling snow. Cold air makes it harder to work and breathe, which adds some extra strain on the body and can be the cause of heart attacks in the vulnerable.
Source: Highways Agency
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