TyreSafe is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to raising awareness about tyre safety and it is encouraging fleet managers and the motor trade to support October’s Tyre Safety month. They have a range of free campaign materials (posters, leaflets, DVDs, an online movie, animations and other resources) for use by vehicle fleet managers and the rest of the motor vehicle trade. The aim is to reduce the number of tyre related accidents this winter.

The campaign is being fronted by McIntyres family of crash test dummies who will be making their debut appearance. Drivers are being encouraged to check their tread depth using the 20p coin test and the test dummies appear in an online animation giving handy tips and advice.

Stuart Jackson, chairman, TyreSafe, said,”Tyre safety month is a great opportunity for all garages and tyre dealers to help keep drivers safe on the road. By offering free tyre safety checks or displaying our information leaflets, posters and other road materials, they can really make a difference to the safety on our roads”.

If you would like further information on the October Tyre Safety campaign call the hotline on 0845 301 6852 or alternatively you can visit www.tyresafe.org

TyreSafe

TyreSafe, the non-profit organisation dedicated to raising awareness about tyre safety, is holding its first ever quarterly communications session on the 7th September, at the Ardencote Manor hotel in Warwick. The session has been designed for TyreSafe members, road safety professionals, fleet managers and HR managers.

TyreSafe will be presenting its plans for the forthcoming year on tyre safety, including the October tyre safety month, so fleet managers can dovetail their own internal tyre safety campaigns to their company car fleet drivers, and employees using their own cars for company business. In addition the Highways Agency will be presenting on their new safety framework, plus a second presentation from Tyresure, who will provide a briefing about impending legislative changes regarding tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS).

Attendance at the event is free and you can get further information and registration details by calling TyreSafe on 01787 226995.

GEM leaflet

As George Michael, the international pop star, has just been jailed for driving under the influence of a cocktail of illegal and prescription drugs, GEM Motoring Assist has published a copy of a leaflet warning and advising against this practise. According to a recent poll, 1 in 10 drivers has admitted their ability to drive was impaired after taking medication, whilst 3 per cent admitted to actually having an accident or a near miss, when driving under the influence of prescription drugs or over-the-counter medicines.

The leaflet which is supported by Resident GP of ITV’s This Morning, Dr Chris Steele MBE, answers any questions about driving under the influence of prescription drugs and also offers guidance on being aware how certan medication can affect your driving.

The leaflet is available at www.motoringassist.com/motoronmeds

Employers have a duty of care responsibility to ensure that their company car drivers drive responsibly, so the leaflet should be of use to UK fleet managers to help educate their fleet drivers.

Jaguar XF

Jaguar has announced that the first ever Police-spec XF is about to go on patrol across the West Midlands with the Central Motorway Police Group, which covers Staffordshire, Mercia and the West Midlands. Seven high performance Jaguar XF diesel S models have been bought and feature the 275PS 3.0-litre Diesel S engine.

Jaguar XF

Police specification includes a roof mounted light bar with 360 degrees blue flashing lights and integrated side alley lights, blue and white flashing LED lights inside the front grille, side mounted blue flashing LED lights, blue and red flashing LED lights integrated in the rear light clusters and a Home office-specification electronics “Police Pack”.

The Jaguar XF offers 42mpg and has a CO2 figure of 179g/km and because of its strong residual value  should retain 80% of its purchase price after 12 months, or 14,000 miles (source EurotaxGlass’s). Having a strong residual value also means that the contract hire rental for the Jaguar XF will also be attractive.

Geoff Cousins, Managing Director for Jaguar Cars UK said,”Police drivers demand the very best from their vehicles- power, performance, safety and comfort are all very important, while their fleet managers are looking at good environmental credentials and strong residual values to ensure value for money”.

Vauxhall ecoFLEX

Vauxhall was voted the Fleet Manufacturer of the Year 2010 at the recently held Fleet News Awards. The award is one of the most prestigious in the vehicle fleet industry and is voted independently by fleet managers across the country.

Maurice Howkins, Fleet Sales Director for Vauxhall said,”We’re absolutely delighted to receive this recognition from our customers, especially in such testing times for the industry.We strive to provide our customers not only with a great choice of vehicles, including our award winning ecoFLEX range, but also with the best support network in the industry from our fleet sales and aftersales teams and our retailers”.

Vauxhall

Vauxhall has always been popular with the UK fleet industry and has a strong product line up including the new Astra, Insignia and Corsa. Vauxhall business car leasing prices on all their whole range are available on the site now.

Brake, the road safety charity, is targeting fleet managers with a new safety campaign  aimed at educating them and their company car drivers to improve safety on UK roads. A dedicated website has been set up with a range of e-learning tools to help promote the campaign. There will also be a series of one-day workshops for fleet managers.

The dedicated website is located at www.pledgetodrivesafely.org

The seven road safety critical pledges being promoted via the campaign are as follows.

- Sober up

- Wake Up

- Buck Up

- Check up

- Belt Up

- Shut Up

- Slow Down

Mary Williams OBE, Chief Executive at Brake said,”The Pledge is a simple campaign with simple messages, but with enormous potential to save lives. I urge fleet managers to attend the workshop and to get started with rolling out these fantastic new resources”.

ACFO, the UK’s leading organisation representing the interests of fleet and transport managers, has called on the Government to clearly identify at-work driving duty of care failings for the private and public sector. In various studies undertaken 200 road deaths and injuries a week result from crashes involving at-work drivers.

ACFO has responsed to the Department’s consultation document- “A Safer Way – Making Britain’s Roads the Safest in the World” :”Fleets stand accused – on fairly flimsy statistical evidence -of being overrepresented in accident and casualty figures.This has significant implications for organisations for potential input into the corporate manslaughter arena”.

The Fuelcard Company, one of the UK’s leading fuel card providers, has undertaken research into present-day driving distractions. Disturbingly they found, that even though drivers are four more times likely to crash while using a mobile, only 12% had stopped making calls whilst the car is in motion and almost 40% don’t own a hands free kit.

Jakes de Kock, The Fuelcard Company Marketing Director, said ” These findings highlight that whilst we are all aware of the risks of using a mobile phone when driving, many people are ignoring them which is incredibly dangerous- both to the driver and the company. If there is an accident and the correct procedures haven’t been followed, Courts will hold fleet managers and company owners accountable and this could result in legal action against them”.

The research also found that other potential distractions include changing a CD/radio station, altering a SatNav, minding children, lighting a cigarette and even having a conversation. The Fuelcard Company is urging fleet managers to review the legislation and establish a strict mobile-while-driving policy to ensure all company car drivers (and all other staff as well) follow the guidlines, to reduce the risks of accidents and prosecution.

With the Corporate Manslaughter Act now incorporating The Health and Safety Offences Act 2008, fleet or company car drivers, and even the Directors of the Company, are at risk of long jail terms. You can be prosecuted for dangerous driving by allowing texting or even answering a call in your vehicle, under your duty of care responsibilities.