SynX Blog

Drivers who kill others after speeding, racing, using a phone or due to impaired driving (under the influence of drink or drugs) could receive life sentences under new legislation, while the current maximum sentence is of 14 years.

The reform was announced last week in the and will be introduced in the UK Parliament early next year.

With the current lack of specificity in the law, drivers causing injuries or death can be only convicted of careless driving. This change was firstly announced in 2017 and now it seems there is actually going to be a timeframe stating when it will come into force.

The increase will apply to offences in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, which has separate road safety laws.

A consultation carried out in 2016 gave support for the new driving offence measures from victims, road safety campaigners and people who had lost loved ones. Of the 9,000 who responded, 90% thought there should be a new offence of causing serious injury by careless driving. In addition, 70% of those who responded agreed the maximum penalty for causing death by dangerous driving should be increased to life imprisonment.

Last year, 174 people were sentenced for causing death by dangerous driving, and another 19 for causing death by careless driving.

Photo by Nabeel Syed on Unsplash

The initiative known as Project Edward has this year Driving for Work as its leading topic.

After its start in 2019 as European Day Without A Road Death (EDWARD), Project EDWARD evolved into EVERY Day Without A Road Death and is going to be delivered in association with Highways England, Driving for Better Business, the Association of Road Risk Management (ARRM) and the charity TyreSafe to support the One Road, One Week campaign of police enforcement activity to be held this week, 14th – 18th September.

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A recent study conducted by the Dutch Institute for Road Safety has shown that a significant and increasing number of drivers plays videogames while behind the wheel: in 2019, 8.2 per cent of the drivers interviewed admitted they had sometimes played games while driving, an increase of the 3 per cent from a 2017 survey. 70 per cent of drivers have admitted to use their mobile phones in some way while driving. Despite the different restrictions in force in the European countries and internationally, distracted driving remains a growing concern.

According to the WHO, drivers using mobile phones are 4 times more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers not using a mobile phone, as using a phone while driving slows reaction times (notably braking reaction time, but also reaction to traffic signals) and makes it difficult to keep in the correct lane, and to keep the correct following distances.

According to different sources, with the lockdown distracted and dangerous driving have increased despite the traffic increasing in some countries, adding up to the risk associated with the driving profession and those deriving from the spread of Coronavirus.

The use of mobile phones behind the wheel can lead to different driver distractions:

• Visual (the eyes are not looking at the road);
• Cognitive (the mind is off the road);
• Physical (the hands are on the phone and not on the steering wheel);
• Auditory (minor, but referring to the ringing of the phone or notifications sounds).

Not having your eyes, mind, hands and ears on the road can have the same impact as being impaired because of drug or drink driving, provoking slower reaction, erratic driving and trouble in maintaining appropriate speed or distance, with a global reaction of driver awareness that can lead to serious consequences. Commercial drivers are especially at risk now because of the repetitiveness and multitasking nature of their job and as their mental health can be more influenced by the extra risks coming into place with COVID-19. Make sure you support your driving team and talk to us if you want to learn more on how to eliminate distracted driving in your fleet.

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According to an ETSC report made public in the month of July 2020, the COVID-19 lockdown had an impact on the reduction of road deaths overall in Europe.

In April 2020, 910 people lost their lives in road collisions in the EU25, compared to the 1415 on average during the reference period, accounting for a 36% reduction. As a term of comparison, fatalities on the road in the EU declined by just 3% between 2018 and 2019, and by 24% over the decade 2010-2019.

While these numbers can definitely be welcomed as positive, some other issues have arisen in the same timeframe, throughout the whole Europe, as it seems traffic volume has not decreased at the same level road deaths did, and speeding has increased.

The report lists the findings in the different EU countries, here is some of the data shared:

• Speed violations detected by a sample of fixed safety cameras have increased by 39% in Spain, where there has also been an increase in HGV occupant deaths
  
  
• An increase in global traffic has been experienced in Italy when lockdown measures have eased, with a greater use of private vehicles and a higher use of electric mobility
  
  
• In Hungary, police enforcement of COVID-19 regulations has led to less attention to traffic offences, with drivers taking advantages of empty roads to take more risks
  
  
• In the Netherlands, despite the pandemic containment measures led to less traffic and a lower total number of collision, but despite this, the number of road deaths registered increased by 13% in April 2020 compared to April 2017-2019 average
  
  
• In France, road travel decreased during lockdown, but speed cameras reported an increase of the most serious speeding offences (50% above the legal limit) compared with the same period of last year.

Dovilė Adminaitė, ETSC Road Safety Performance Index project manager, who led the research, commented:

“The Covid-19 lockdown has led to a huge disruption in mobility in Europe. There have been positive changes such as a rise in people walking and cycling and the installation of pop-up cycle infrastructure and lower speed limits in dense urban areas. However there will be big risks moving forward if people avoid public transport and prioritise car use in urban areas.  We need to rapidly improve the infrastructure for walking and cycling in urban, but also in rural areas. If governments, cities and towns don’t adapt to this new reality, the saving of lives on the roads during lockdown could soon be reversed.” 

Photo by Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash

Global Fleet Champions, a not-for-profit global campaign to prevent crashes and reduce pollution caused by vehicles used for work purposes created by Brake, the road safety charity, has recently published a new valuable resource to help fleet managers tackle the challenges coming up with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The resource is a factsheet entitled Advice for fleet managers: Managing road risk during the COVID-19 pandemic, that covers some of the key road safety issues that have emerged with the Coronavirus crisis:

• Recruiting drivers to cover for possible absence/sick leave/quarantine of the workforce;
• Meeting an increased demand for deliveries;
• Ensuring a safe driving behaviour is taking place all the time;
• Reducing risks for cyclists or walkers as people tend to take public transport less.

As some research has revealed, quieter roads may lead to distraction or tempt drivers to speed, and the pressures of lockdown may encourage drivers who drink to drink more or consume drugs.

The factsheet gives simple tips on how to manage journeys, ensure vehicle safety, and look after driver wellbeing especially those coming back from lockdown, as well as giving guidance on what to consider when recruiting and training new drivers to meet increased demands for deliveries and other services.

Scott Williams, head of programme delivery at Brake, the road safety charity, said: “COVID-19 has changed the road environment around the world and has created new challenges for fleet managers. It is more important than ever that fleet managers review their policies and procedures to manage work-related road risk."

You can find the resource on the Global Fleet Champions website at https://globalfleetchampions.org/resources/factsheet-managing-road-risk-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/.

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According to a survey carried out by CameraMatics and made public by Fleet News, the majority of HGV drivers do not carry out walkaround checks before starting their journeys. The survey was conducted on more than 500 drivers, both in Ireland and in the UK, to ask about the frequency of vehicle inspections.

2 in 5 HGV drivers (39.3%) said they never do walkaround checks, and a further 15.8% rarely complete checks, totalling more than half (55.1%) of respondents not carrying out regular walkaround checks. Just under a third of the interviewed (29.4%) completes these vehicle checks, with 15.5% doing it regularly.

The DVSA reported in January 2020 that 85% of lorry defects can be picked up during a walkaround check. Drivers and their companies can get fines and sanctions or even a prison sentence if they use vehicles that are not roadworthy or cause an accident that could have been prevented with adequate walkaround vehicle checks.

According to the same survey, more than 50% of the over 250 HGV fleet managers interviewed use a pen and paper system for checks.

Our walkaround app, available with SynX Maintain, can help you streamline the vehicle inspection process, comes with an HGV checklist that is customisable depending on the needs of every fleet and company - don't hesitate to contact us to learn more: not having a reliable system for walkaround checks can cost you a lot.

Responding to the challenges of drivers and of the transport sector in COVID-19 times, Ford has announced the creation of a new range of protection shields that can be quickly and easily fitted to a wide selection of the company’s commercial vehicles, to help operators meet social distancing requirements and deliver additional peace of mind for occupants.

The new shields developed by Ford are initially going to be available for Transit, Transit Custom and Tourneo Custom vans and people movers, while shields for Transit / Tourneo Connect and Transit Courier will follow later this year. Designed with operations including school buses, patient transfer, accessible transport and taxi services in mind, the shields are intended to supplement operators’ existing PPE and hygiene protocols and can be fitted in configurations to suit individual applications.

“Commercial vehicle operators have faced unprecedented challenges in 2020 and are adapting to new norms as they continue to provide their vital services to our communities and economy,” said Owen Gregory, Ford’s European Commercial Vehicle Aftersales director. “Our new protection shields provide additional support to our customers as they continue to operate in challenging circumstances, offering drivers and passengers peace of mind as they work and travel.”

Once installed, the shields do not restrict passenger comfort, interior space or operation of the heating and ventilation systems. The transparent PVC material also allows the driver to retain full visibility of the windscreen, side windows and mirrors, and passengers can still hear and see each other as normal.

Photo Credit: ©Ford at https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/feu/en/news/2020/07/14/shield-images.html

According to a recent Business Barometer research from Mercedes-Benz Cans UK, 4 in 5 members of the van community (78%) find the work they do as contributing to keeping people safe.

The same research made public that van drivers are averagely working 19.2 extra hours per month.

The van community has helped to keep activities moving during the pandemic, not only delivering goods to people in lockdown, but also transporting medical supplies and essential goods to hospitals, pharmacies and to the elderly and vulnerable.

The Business Barometer also found that their work to date is resulting in 82% of van drivers agreeing they feel their customers’ appreciation as 27% have had a thank you message on social media and 21% have even received an applause while out on delivery.

According to Steve Bridge, UK managing director at Mercedes-Benz Vans: "They [van drivers] deliver goods, enable services and transport people often behind the scenes and unnoticed, so we’re delighted that so many are now being recognised and thanked by the public for their hard work. It is important that we continue to support this vital sector with kindness, because without them, the country would not be running in the same way."