drivers’ guide to road safetyresolutiontelevision.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/... · Northgate. that’s why we have teamed up with the road safety charity Brake again to produce

drivers’ guide to road safety

SpecialEdition

Drivers safety GuiDe

contentsat a glance

1 - 2 _ Drink and Drug driving

3 _ the law and mobile phones

4-7 _ road safety week

8 _ Driver tiredness

9 _ vehicle maintenance

10 - 11 _ speeding

12 _ Monitoring

13 _ tyre safety

14 _ reversing

15 - 17 _ assess yourself

18 _ Contact us

drivers’ guide to road safety

Drivers safety GuiDe

Brake is pleased to have

worked in partnership with Northgate to

produce this guide, containing essential road safety

advice for fleet managers and drivers. Northgate is not

only committed to improving the safety of its own vehicles, but

supports Brake’s work to educate all road users and to care for

families affected by road crashes. We hope this guide will help

you to improve road safety – it could save a life.

go safely.

Keeping our customers and

their employees safer on the

roads is a top priority for

Northgate. that’s why we have

teamed up with the road safety

charity Brake again to produce

this special booklet.

Drivers’ Guide to road safety

features many of the major

issues relating to driver safety

including: drink and drug

driving, speeding, mobile

phone legislation, reversing

and tyre safety.

use it and stay safe!

Drivers safety GuiDe 1

drinK & drug driving

8 people are killed by Drink

Drivers on UK roads every

week. These deaths can be

stopped if all drivers pledge

NEVER TO DRINK AND

DRIVE - NOT EVEN A DROP.

alcohol is a depressant drug

and even small amounts of

alcohol (such as half a pint of

lager) affect drivers’ reaction

times, judgment and

co-ordination. alcohol also

makes it impossible for drivers

to assess their own impairment

because it creates a false

sense of confidence. for

these reasons, the only way

for drivers to be safe is to not

drink anything at all before

driving.

Figures from the

Department of Transport

show that:

Drink-drive deaths account for

1 in 6 road deaths.

Drink-drivers over the legal

limit cause more than 8,600

crashes, killing or injuring more

than 13,000 people each year.

an estimated 80 road deaths

per year are caused by drivers

who are under the drink-

drive limit, but who have a

significant amount of alcohol in

their blood (source: Combating

Drink Driving: Next steps).

Do you know what the

current drink-driver limit in

the UK is?

the actual limit is set at 80mg

of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

Government guidelines state

that a normal, healthy person

can drink two units of alcohol.

that’s one pint of

average-strength beer, two

small glasses of wine or two

standard measures of spirits.

But any amount of alcohol can

impair your driving. alcohol

affects your ability to judge

speed and distance and also

slows your reactions.

it’s important to remember that

the system of units works only

as an approximate guide. How

much alcohol an individual can

drink before reaching the legal

limit depends on a number of

personal attributes: Height, weight,

sex, fitness level, metabolism rate,

how your liver is functioning, how

much food you’ve eaten and how

much sleep you’ve had.

By cutting the drink-drive limit,

experts believe 65 lives and

230 serious injuries per year

could be avoided. (source: Prof.

richard e allsop, Centre for

transport studies).


drinK & drug driving...cont.

Brake’s advice for drivers:

Don’t drink any alcohol if •

you’re driving – not a drop.

Don’t drink if you’re driving •

early the next morning –

you could still be impaired.

Drug Driving

around 18% of drivers killed

in road crashes have traces

of illegal drugs in their blood,

with cannabis being the most

common (the incidence of

Drugs and alcohol in road

accident fatalities 2000).

although the risks of drug

driving aren’t as well known as

the risks of drink driving they

are just as dangerous – drugs

can affect people dramatically

and therefore make them

lethal when behind the wheel

of a car.

The penalties - drink & drugs

if a driver is found to be either

over the drink-drive limit, and/

or driving while impaired by

alcohol or drugs, they can

receive a maximum penalty

of six months in prison and a

fine of up to £5,000. anyone

convicted usually receives a

one-year disqualification. if

a driver kills someone while

under the influence of alcohol,

they can be charged with

death by careless driving

while under the influence of

drink or drugs, which carries a

maximum penalty of 14 years

in prison and an unlimited fine.


tHe laW andmobile pHonesYour concentration is

seriously impaired if you’re

on the telephone while at

the wheel, yet hundreds

of motorists continue to

flout new laws, putting

themselves and other road

users at risk.

The penalties for using a

hand-held mobile phone

while driving are:

£60 fixed penalty and 3

penalty points or a fine of up

to £1,000 rising to £2,500 for

drivers of goods vehicles , if the

case is heard in court.


Brake suggests that putting

your phone on message service

for all journeys will eliminate

any temptation to answer

calls while driving. Consider

changing your message to

include phrases like “i may be

driving and will probably be

able to return your call within

the next 2 hours.”

Put your phone in the boot or

somewhere out of reach if you

think you’ll be tempted to use

it while driving – no call is more

important than a life.

Research shows that

using any type of phone - hand-held or

hands-free increases the chance of a crash by

up to four times. Anyone who uses a phone behind

the wheel is taking huge risks with their life and the

lives of others. It is no good having your hands

on the wheel if your brain is elsewhere.


road safety WeeK

In order to raise awareness of this continuing problem we have developed the campaign ‘message undelivered’, as part of the campaign we have produced a safety video which shows the possible dangers that can occur when being distracted by your mobile phone.

The special edition of our Driver Safety Guide features more detailed information on the dangers, the facts and tips on how to break the habit.

You can find information on the campaign through channels such as our website, Youtube and Twitter.

to support the charity brake in this years road safety Week (22nd november), northgate vehicle Hire are tackling an important issue which is texting whilst driving.


message... ...undeliveredDriving is the most

dangerous task most

people do on a regular

basis. Any attempt at multi

tasking increases the risk of

crashing.

employers have a legal

responsibility to take all

reasonable and practical

steps to ensure the health,

safety and welfare of

employees at work.

this includes when they are

driving on company business,

and includes tackling the

dangers of distractions.

Conversations while driving

generally result in:

slow speed, more drifting

out of lane, slower reaction times, more

missed events and less

awareness.

8 out of 10 crashes involve drivers putting themselves, their •

passengers and other road users at risk by not concentrating fully

on the road

1 in 3 drivers admit to having nearly crashed as a result of •

being distracted

6 in ten drivers (57%) have driven while distracted by something •

in the vehicle in the past year

often a moment’s distraction can be fatal.

tHe facts

Q1: What do you think the law

is on using a mobile

phone whilst driving?

Only two-thirds of drivers

(64%) correctly identified

the law on using a mobile

phone while driving.

64% think you can only •

use mobile phones with ear

pieces or with speakers that

are wired into your vehicle

25% think it’s illegal to use •

any type of mobile phone

while driving

9% did not know but •

thought the law should be

better publicised

2% did not answer •

•

•

•

The Facts:

It is illegal to use a •

hand-held mobile phone

when driving.

You will recieve a • £60 fixed

penalty and 3 points on

your licence for using a

hand-held mobile whilst

driving.

If a driver using any type of phone crashes, •

they may be prosecuted for careless or

dangerous driving. The maximum penalty

for causing death by dangerous driving

is 14 years imprisonment and an unlimited

fine.

Research has shown that it is the •

conversation, rather than the holding of

the phone, which is the most distracting

element.


An encouraging nine out of

ten drivers (89%) are more

aware of the dangers of

driving while using a mobile

than they were two years

ago.

Alarmingly, more than half

of drivers who are more

aware of the dangers (55%)

still admit using their mobile

phone while driving in the

past 12 months.

Don’t be tempted: •

turn off your mobile phone,

let voicemail capture your

voice and text messages.

- its better to answer the

call late than not at all!

if you have to call or text •

while driving, pull off the

road safely and stop

- only if its a matter of life

and death!

if you think you will still be •

tempted to text and drive,

put your phone somewhere

you can’t reach it.

- out of sight, out of mind

take control of your mobile phone, don’t let it control you.

braKe... ...tHe Habit


driver tirednessa WaKe up call for all drivers

Being tired behind the

wheel is just as dangerous

as being drunk. Research by

Brake concluded that out of

1,000 drivers, 460 admitted

to driving when sleepy and

60 admitted to falling asleep

while driving.

about seven deaths a week

are caused by driver tiredness.

it is one of the biggest killers

on our roads, particularly on

long monotonous roads such

as motorways. the following

advice is recommended by

aWaKe, which has conducted

extensive research into the

problem of driver tiredness.

You should:

educate your drivers about

the risks of driver tiredness

and how to prevent it. Do

this through training, leaflets

and posters and your driver

handbook. they should know:

their safety comes first •

- they must never drive

when tired and will not be

disciplined if they cannot

carry on driving.

the risks of driving when •

tired.

How to prevent driver •

tiredness and how to tackle

it if they experience it while

driving.


take breaks somewhere safe, every two hours •

or sooner if you feel sleepy.

stop for 15 minutes - try to snooze if you feel •

sleepy. Only drive on if you feel alert.

research has found that drinking one or two •

caffeinated drinks, or coffee, before having a

snooze can help you be more alert after you

wake up. By the time you wake up the caffeine

will have taken effect. remember, caffeine is a

stimulant; it is not a substitute for sleep.

Never try to tackle tiredness by soldiering on •

- turning up the radio and winding down the

window does not work.

The most common

times for drivers to fall asleep at

the wheel are early in the morning

(2am to 6am) and early in the afternoon

(2pm to 4pm). This is because the body clock

‘dips’ at these times. So, avoid scheduling

journeys during these times.


veHicle maintenanceKeeping you on tHe roadWe can all play a part to

ensure better safety on the

roads. We can reduce our

speed, ensure we don’t

drink and drive and avoid

taking to the wheel when

we are tired.

But regular and correct

maintenance of vehicles also

plays a big part in road safety.

unfortunately, there is currently

no compulsory system in

place to ensure that motor

mechanics are licensed to

undertake work on vehicles.

Brake, the road safety charity is

currently campaigning for the

compulsory licensing of vehicle

mechanics.

Poorly maintained vehicles are

a threat to road users. statistics

show that 36% of cars, vans

and minibuses fail their annual

test. vehicles not maintained

to the proper standards could

kill or maim drivers, passengers

and other road users.

according to the Health and

safety executive mechanical

defects are estimated to be

a factor in 3% of all road

crashes.


Drivers should regularly check •

tyre pressure and check tyres

for wear and tear.

Check that headlights are in •

good working order and are

clean.

ensure that windscreen •

wipers are working and

washers are filled.

Make sure your vehicle is •

clean especially the windows,

headlights and mirrors.

ensure that your vehicle •

is serviced at regular

intervals. these should

be recommended by the

manufacturer of your vehicle.


Taking your vehicle to a

garage that have licensed

mechanics will ensure that

your vehicle is serviced and

maintained to the highest

safety standards possible.

Northgate workshop

mechanics are licensed through

the society of Operation

engineers’ irte scheme.

the scheme requires both

theoretical and practical tests.

On successful completion of the

scheme, the mechanic receives

a license, which lasts for five

years. after that, they are

re-assessed. you can be sure

that when renting vehicles

from a Northgate hire company

they will be maintained to the

highest standards possible

by fully trained and licensed

mechanics.

All Northgate

hire companies have their own

workshops and mechanics. Northgate

takes vehicle safety very seriously and as a

result has become the only daily rental

company to license its mechanics.

The importance of

controlling speed,

particularly in towns and on

rural roads, should not be

underestimated. In towns,

7 out of 10 drivers travel

too fast, yet just a few miles

over the limit can make the

difference between life and

death. Statistics show that a

car driven at 35mph is twice

as likely to kill a pedestrian

than one travelling at

30mph.

Brake’s own research shows

that nearly 9 in 10 drivers

break speed limits with more

than 4 in 10 breaking speed

limits when late or on a tight

schedule. the charity says

its findings reveal a lack of

understanding among drivers

about the importance of

staying well within speed

limits.

further research by the

Department of transport shows

that:

if you hit someone at 20mph, •

there’s a 95% chance they’ll

survive.

if you hit someone at 40mph, •

there’s an 80% chance they’ll

die.

Speeding on rural roads

Many drivers use rural roads as

‘quick cut throughs’ as they are

often less congested. Drivers

tend to drive at excessive

speeds on these roads, which

is very dangerous. Wet and icy

roads add to the hazards of

speeding as these conditions

make it much more difficult

for drivers to control their

vehicles against the likelihood

of skidding.

Drivers also need to be more

aware of vulnerable road users

on rural roads. you should

always be on the lookout for

walkers, cyclists and horse

riders.

How you can make

employees safer

as a responsible employer,

it is vital that you introduce

measures designed to prevent

your employees from driving

too fast.

Brake advises that drivers

should be educated about the

danger of speed. you can do

this by ensuring that employees

know your company does not

tolerate speeding. training

sessions, posters, leaflets and

driver handbooks can all be

used to improve employee

understanding.

speedingit costs lives!


Make sure your employees

know:

it is the company’s policy for all •

drivers to always comply with all

speed limits – they are the law.

exceeding posted speed limits, •

and gaining speeding points

on your licence is a disciplinary

offence.

the risks of driving too fast on •

different types of road, including

in towns and rural roads.

the importance of keeping a safe •

distance from other vehicles.

the benefits of slowing down.•

*Passenger carrying vehicles with •

more than 9 seats (including the

driver) or over 12m in length are

limited from to a maximum of

60mph.

speedingit costs lives!...cont.


Speed LimitsTYPE OF VEHICLE

Cars and motorcycles(including car derived vans up to 2 tonnes maximum laden weight)

Cars towing caravans or trailers(including car derived vans and motorcycles)

Buses and coaches*(not exceeding 9 seats)

Goods vehicles(3501kg - 7500kg speed limited from 01.01.08)

Goods vehicles(exceeding 7.5 tonnes maximum laden weight speed limited from 01.01.08)

BUILT-UP AREAS* ELSEWHERE MOTORWAYS

MPH MPH MPH MPH

SINGLE CARRIAGEWAYS DUAL CARRIAGEWAYS

30

30

30

30

30

60

60

60

60

60

60

50

50

50

50

70 70

70

70

40These are the national speed limits and apply to all roads unless signs show otherwise.All speed limits and information contained within this guide is correct at time of print: Nov 2007.

You can play a significant part in improving safety by making

sure that your drivers have achievable schedules – that way,

there’s no excuse for speeding. If drivers are going to be late,

encourage them to ring ahead rather than racing to make up

for lost time.

Slower speeds save lives.

Typical Stopping Distances20MPV

30MPV

40MPV

50MPV

60MPV

70MPV

6 metres 6 metres

9 metres 14 metres

12 metres 24 metres

15 metres 38 metres

18 metres 55 metres

21 metres 75 metres

THINKING DISTANCE BRAKING DISTANCE AVERAGE CAR LENGTH = 4 METRES

= 12 metres(40 feet)or 3 car lengths







monitoringimprove tHe HealtH & safety of your employees

Help your company prevent

speeding and driver tiredness with vehicle

monitoring.

Let Northgate help you to

prevent your drivers from

speeding or driving while

dangerously tired with

our web based vehicle

monitoring service.

How it works

vehicle monitoring uses the

latest satellite technology to

record information about your

vehicles. this information is

downloaded via the internet to

your PC and presented to you

in easy to understand reports.

vehicle monitoring allows

you to see exactly where

your vehicles have been, how

many times they have gone

over the speed limit and how

many hours they have been on

the road without a break. Drivers

who know their vehicle is being

monitored with vehicle monitoring

are less likely to break speeding

rules and drive for too many hours

without stopping for a break.

For more information on vehicle

monitoring go online and visit:

www.vehiclemonitoring.co.uk

or ring 0843 208 7556 or

complete and return the reply

paid card on the back page of

this road safety guide.

tyre safetyget a grip


Tyre quality can radically

affect the accuracy of

steering, braking and

acceleration. Think about

it: tyres are a vehicle’s only

contact with the road, so

they need to be maintained

properly.

Here are some pointers on

maintaining tyre safety.

Only ever use quality tyres. •

regularly check tyre pressure. •

this should be checked

at least every week. you

could provide your drivers

with portable tyre pressure

gauges.

tyre pressure should be •

checked when the tyres are

cold. ensure your drivers

know the correct tyre

pressure for the vehicle they

are driving.

tyre tread depth needs to be •

checked regularly not just at

routine services. for safety

on slippery roads tyres need

to be changed before the

tread reaches the minimum

(the minimum legal tread is

1.6mm for cars and vans,

and 1mm for trucks over 3.5

tonne, but less than 3mm

is dangerous in wet or icy

conditions).

tyre wear should also be •

checked. Drivers need to

check for cuts, worn patches

and bulges. if a tyre is

wearing unevenly then the

vehicles steering may need to

be corrected. ask a mechanic

to check the alignment.

Overloading vehicles can •

cause tyre damage.

ensure that a trained tyre •

fitter changes your vehicles

tyres.

reversingWatcH out for blind spots


Health and Safety Executive

figures reveal that nearly a quarter

of all deaths involving vehicles

at work are caused during

reversing.

Research by the University of

Huddersfield which involved a

study of 60 commercial vehicle

operators found that as many as

half of any company’s incidents

occurred when a vehicle was

reversing.

Brake’s advice for van and car

drivers:

reverse slowly, checking •

around you at all times.

reverse in to parking spaces •

rather than out of them.

there is less chance of hitting

a vehicle or person.

avoid reversing, including •

three point turns whenever

possible.

if someone offers to help •

you reverse, make sure you

can see them at all times and

agree a clear hand signal for

stop.

if you are unsure whether •

you are about to reverse into

a low-level object, such as a

bollard, and no one is helping

you, stop and get out and

check. Never reverse blind

when people, particularly

children are about.

Before reversing always check •

your gear selection is correct

and you are about to drive in

the right direction.

Make sure all windows and •

mirrors are clear, and that you

use them.

assess yourself!managing a safe fleet


Complete this quick self-audit to see how much your company is

fulfilling it’s ‘duty of care’ on the roads.

Management Policy

Does your company:

Have a director level commitment to managing road risk and an

understanding of its legal responsibility for the safety of vehicles and

drivers?

Have a senior employee in charge of managing road risk?

Have a written and dated road risk policy and list of planned road risk

initiatives which is regularly updated?

invite all employees to regularly suggest ideas to tackle road risk?

Carry out routine risk assessments on all aspects of your use of roads

including routing and timing of journeys, driver safety and vehicle

safety?

record comprehensive information about all incidents involving all

vehicles driven on your company’s behalf? (including minor bumps and

scrapes).

analyse the information to identify causes and frequency of incidents?

use this analysis to implement appropriate initiatives to prevent future

incidents?

yes No

yes No

yes No

yes No

yes No

yes No

yes No

yes No

Keep updated on road risk “best practice” through relevant courses,

conferences and membership of organisations?

Monitor key indicators (for example, numbers of incidents) to ensure

safety is improving?

Driver Safety Policy

Does your company:

Have a handbook for drivers giving safety advice and information on

road safety?

assess drivers’ driving skills and check their licences, health and

references before letting them drive?

Provide induction training for drivers and then regular assessments,

using skilled and qualified drivers assessors and trainers?

regularly check drivers’ fitness to drive. for example, by eye sight

testing, testing for alcohol and drug abuse and ensuring that they are

not suffering stress or tiredness?

Monitor drivers day-to-day. for example, through incident rates,

freephone “how am i driving” schemes, black box technology or other

methods?

encourage drivers to tell you about incidents, even small ones, and

interview drivers as part of your incident recording procedure?

Provide remedial on-road and theoretical training for drivers as

necessary?

Motivate drivers to improve their safety records, for example, through

awards for good driving?

assess the impact of hours of work, deadlines and routing and

scheduling of vehicles on driver safety and improve as necessary?


yes No

yes No

yes No

yes No

yes No

yes No

yes No

yes No

yes No

yes No

yes No

Vehicle Safety Policy

Does your company:

Consider safety first when specifying new vehicles. for example, by

specifying crash protection features and modern braking systems?

ensure that all maintenance on vehicles is carried out to a high

standard by skilled, knowledgeable and qualified mechanics?

ensure that defects on vehicles are quickly identified and sorted out?

regularly audit the standard of mechanics’ work and the durability and

quality of components?

ensure drivers carry out essential safety checks – such as tyre pressure

and tread – on a regular basis?


yes No

yes No

yes No

yes No

yes No

If you have answered yes to the majority of these questions, you

are well on your way to achieving ‘best practice’.

If you have answered no to any of the questions you could be

risking lives and you need to take action.


contact us

telephone: 0844 8266 555

email: [email protected]

visit: www.northgateonline.co.uk

address: Northgate vehicle Hire

NOrfLeX House

20 allington Way

Darlington

Co. Durham

DL1 4Dy

0026

Documents

drivers’ guide to road safetyresolutiontelevision.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/... · Northgate. that’s why we have teamed up with the road safety charity Brake again to produce