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Rise in van traffic ‘ticking accident time bomb’ says IAM

Van drivers almost twice as likely as other drivers to use mobile phones at the wheel

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is urging employers to carry out appropriate risk assessments on van drivers. Van traffic is on the rise and in a press release entitled ‘Surge in van traffic ticking accident time bomb’ IAM expresses concern that with no additional test or qualification required to drive one, there could be a rise in road traffic collisions.

According to the government’s Road Use Statistics Great Britain 2016, van traffic is at an all-time high – an increase that is thought to be closely related to the 10 per cent year-on-year growth of online and home shopping.

Bicycles could replace vans and lorries for two thirds of logistic trips

In contrast, the level of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) traffic has fallen and research suggests that the two may be linked. IAM cites factors such as the lower wages of van drivers, the rise in home deliveries and the fact that both the fleet management and drivers of vans are less regulated than HGVs.

IAM RoadSmart director of policy and research, Neil Greig, explained: “There is no additional test or qualification required to drive a van, over the basic car licence. This compares directly to drivers of HGVs, who must undertake a test in the vehicle they drive and continued professional development through the driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC).”

As an example of why they are concerned about this, IAM cites figures from the Department for Transport which state that van drivers are almost twice as likely as car drivers to use hand-held mobile phones at the wheel – 2.7 per cent compared to 1.4 per cent of car drivers.

IAM says that checking licences and risk assessing drivers can be done online, meaning it is a quick, easy, low-cost process, which allows the firm in question to opt for further training where necessary.

Greig warned that failure to do so could lead to grave consequences.

“As more and more orders are made online, it is very likely that the increased growth in the number of van drivers will continue.

“But whether your fleet is made up of vans or HGVs, the same corporate manslaughter laws apply and as an employer it is not enough to assume that just holding a driving licence will keep your drivers safe. With additional pressures on them, including often overly optimistic delivery schedules, van drivers face challenges car drivers rarely will.

“With the Christmas delivery surge fast approaching be stringent in your risk assessment process and ensure every individual you have on the road receives the training they need to get their valuable cargo and themselves delivered on time and in one piece.”

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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12 comments

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WillRod | 7 years ago
1 like

In my opinion, the problem with vans is down to time pressures and inept drivers.

At my last job I was told off for being 10 minutes late due to a major accident on the main road. Incidents like that were part of the reason I quit! Of course you can't remove all time pressure, but the levels of pressure some people are under makes them unsafe to have on the road. 

Also, inept drivers are a problem. Either they are too angry a person to be allowed behind the wheel, or they are unable to drive safely. I'm also sure vans have bigger blind spots than cars, which need addressing.

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ooldbaker | 7 years ago
2 likes

It is 1.6/2.7% of drivers were observed to be using a mobile. That means that when the test was done that many were observed.

A far higher number might well use mobile phones frequently but just happened not to be using them where the test was conducted.

This result is consistent with half of all drivers using mobile phones for say 1/30 of the time they spend driving.

You hear statistics with much higher percentages but no-one believes this percentage use the phone the entire time they are at the wheel.

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bikebot | 7 years ago
3 likes

A few points. First, this is a reason why I don't support the LCC campaign on lorries as-is, I believe it would add to the increase in frieght deliveries by vehicles below 3.5t with drivers who have no specific training. I don't want to see a shift from highly trained drivers, and the problem is mostly within the construction industry.

Second, time based pressure is a major cause of the danger. H&S law should address employment contracts that incentivise dangerous driving. I made exactly the same point with the changes to the Deliveroo contracts, it's true whether it's truck, van, or bicycle delivery (relative danger being vastly different of course).

I'd quite happily bring down the tonnage of the standard driving license to 2t. That's the same weight as a London taxi, and would cover most vehicles. I'm also quite happy that it would exclude monstrosities such as the Audi Q7.  Wycombewheeler's point is a good one, but I believe hire vans are actually involved in a relatively high number of collisions.

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Grizzerly | 7 years ago
3 likes

I  suspect that the 1.4% & 2.7% figures quoted have simply had a decimal point inserted accidentally. 

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Yorkshire wallet | 7 years ago
2 likes

I (vaguely)understand the need for communications on the job but.....BLUETOOTH FFS!! Not one hand on the wheel the other clamped to the phone. It's not like it's new technology or anything.

Sadly, van drivers do seem to drive to stereotypes and are generally twats who don't seem to give a shit.

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wycombewheeler | 7 years ago
2 likes

rather than increasing the tests for van use I would rather see an increase in use for professional drivers.

Sometimes you just need to move something larger and hire a van, with an increased licence required that means getting someone to drive it too.

More important to see an increase in the driving standard of delivery drivers and taxi/mini cab drivers than delivery drivers and those who hire a van once a year.

To those whose primary role is driving as above, i woudl add anyone who drives more than 5,000 miles a year for business purposes.

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tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
0 likes

These van drivers do need to be in communication as they make deliveries. So there needs to be a way to do that safely. Mandatory earpiece perhaps? With the call centres just calling instead of texting? 

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ConcordeCX replied to tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
1 like

unconstituted wrote:

These van drivers do need to be in communication as they make deliveries. So there needs to be a way to do that safely. Mandatory earpiece perhaps? With the call centres just calling instead of texting? 

 

why do they need to be in communication while driving? There were plenty of successful deliveries in olden times, before mobile phones. When they're actually makng the delivery, i.e. out of the van, having just thrust the package into the recipient's wheely bin because they're not at home and the driver can't be arsed to ask a neighbour, then they can use their phone.

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Daveyraveygravey | 7 years ago
2 likes

The DfT figures for mobile use are a joke surely?  2.7% for van drivers and 1.4% for car drivers?!  

There should be some kind of phone jamming device in all vehicles, that stops phones working in cars with the engine on.  How hard or expensive would that be?  You might be a high-powered sales exec who drives for 6 hours  a day and you may need to take and receive phone calls constantly, but just stop the car and then do it!

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Dicklexic | 7 years ago
11 likes

Excuse me what???

 

"van drivers are almost twice as likely as car drivers to use hand-held mobile phones at the wheel – 2.7 per cent compared to 1.4 per cent of car drivers."

 

Where the hell did they get those figures from? In my admittedly unscientific observations it must be getting on for ten times that figure! I couldn't say if van drivers are worse than cars, but there's certainly a hell of a lot more people than 1.4 percent using their phones behind the wheel of their car.

Perhaps they should be introducing more rigourous controls on licensing for driving vans, and whilst they're at it make the standard car license tougher to hold on to as well. Compulsory re-test on 5-10 year intervals I reckon.

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wycombewheeler replied to Dicklexic | 7 years ago
1 like

Dicklexic wrote:

Excuse me what???

 

"van drivers are almost twice as likely as car drivers to use hand-held mobile phones at the wheel – 2.7 per cent compared to 1.4 per cent of car drivers."

 

Where the hell did they get those figures from? In my admittedly unscientific observations it must be getting on for ten times that figure!

So true, I reckon if I looked in every window of the cars I pass on my commute more than 5% would be using the phone at that time, never mind ever using a phone.

When I see a driver with their phone in a bracket beside the steering wheel, and they are texting, then obviously they have a clear intent to use the phone whilst driving.

I saw a van of one of the utility companies (dmitedly parked at the time) with a huge bracket so they could use their tablet from the drivers seat. Why fit such a thing to their vans? why not set it up so they must seat in the passenger seat to do the admin?

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StraelGuy | 7 years ago
4 likes

That's because a disproportionate number of van drivers seem to be total asshats.

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