You are here : eNews 2010 | eNews 2010 January to June Archive | eNews 09' Arhcive » | July 2010 |  Report names Britain’s most dangerous roads
Half of all fatal collisions occur on one-tenth of the road network, says a new report from the Road Safety Foundation called Saving Lives For Less. It names the A573 from Macclesfield to Buxton as the UK’s most persistently dangerous road. However, when motorcycles are excluded the highest risk road was the A18 from Ludborough to Laceby. Road crashes are the country’s largest cause of premature death, and the survey found that one third of all fatal and serious collisions occur at junctions. Single carriageways carry six times the risk of motorways and twice that of dual carriageways. Top 10 dangerous roads were: A537 Macclesfield to Buxton – Cheshire/Derbyshire A5012 Pikehall to Matlock – Derbyshire A621 Baslow to Totley – Derbyshire/South Yorkshire A625 Calver to Sheffield – South Yorkshire A54 Congleton to Buxton – Derbyshire A581 Rufford to Chorley – Lancashire A5004 Whaley Bridge to Buxton – Derbyshire A675 Blackburn to Preston – Lancashire A61 Barnsley to Wakefield – South/West Yorkshire A285 Chichester to Petworth – West Sussex West Midlands was the safest region, with the lowest average risk rating. The A40 from Llandovery to Carmarthen was the most improved road, where junctions have been upgraded, new road markings introduced and extensive resurfacing carried out, including anti-skid treatments, saving 20 fatal and serious collisions between 2006-2008. Simple, relatively inexpensive engineering measures are paying dividends, contributing to more than 70% fewer fatal and serious collision in the last three years on the top ten most improved roads. Improvements to signing and markings, resurfacing, particularly the use of high-friction anti-skid treatments, and the layout and signing of junctions are common. Commenting on the findings, Dr Joanne Hill, director of the Road Safety Foundation, said: “This years report shows that not only can Britain reduce roads deaths and serious injuries but that, by targeting a relatively small mileage of high risk roads, we can do so with good economic returns. Too often we pay for emergency services, hospitals and care for the disabled rather than taking easy steps to put road design faults right. “There are practical examples of how, with attention to detail, some authorities are slashing the toll of death and serious injury on high risk stretches by as much as three-quarters. Simple, relatively inexpensive engineering measures, such as improvements to signing and lining, resurfacing and the layout of signals at junctions, are paying dividends and are affordable particularly when done as part of well-planned routine maintenance.” |  |  Payload has ‘little effect’ on CO2 emissions
Many van drivers believe that the amount of weight a van is carrying will dramatically effect its CO2 emissions. But a new report, commissioned by the Department for Transport, has concluded that it does in fact have surprisingly little impact. “On our test we found that a fully-loaded van weighs 50% more than the same van unladen,” said John Norris, project manager at AEA, the environmental consultancy which conducted the research. “However, CO2 emissions only went up by approximately 7.8% on the combined cycle.” The study found that when a van is travelling on the motorway, aerodynamics has more of an impact than any other factor. Travelling at 70mph, a medium-sized van punches a large hole in the air in comparison to a smaller van, and is likely to increase CO2 output by around 40%. Analysts believe the report could be used by the government to develop a taxation system that penalises large vans, but that this could lead to operators overloading smaller vehicles. The Freight Transport Association has published a best practice guide for transport managers on the safe securing of loads and equipment in vans – including practical advice and clarification of compliance standards to help them improve their drivers' safety. | |  Best way to encourage ‘greener’ driving
The best way to cut back on a business’s carbon footprint is to reward eco-friendly driving with bonuses and gifts. That’s according to Andrew Yeoman, the MD of telematics supplier Trimble Europe. He says that while there’s technology available to help monitor fuel consumption, it inevitably comes down to the way a van is driven. The Government’s ‘Act on CO2’ campaign offers tips to drivers on how to reduce their carbon footprint when out on the road. But Yeoman believes that offering rewards for using these driving skills may see the biggest benefit. “The campaign lists driving at an appropriate speed, accelerating and braking smoothly, changing gears at low revs and avoiding use of air conditioning as key tips,” he said. “These are all simple driving skills and using technology can make it easier for companies to identify who deserves a reward. “Using carrot rather than stick methods will certainly help and start embedding eco-friendly behaviour into fleets in the long term. Although many van users want to drive greener, it can drop down the priority list as the day goes on. If companies start rewarding their drivers for eco-friendly behaviour an improvement can undoubtedly be seen.” | |  Legionnaire’s risk for professional drivers
Research by the Health Protection agency has found that people who drive for a living are five times more likely than anyone else to get Legionnaire’s disease – and windscreen wiper water could be to blame. Survey participants were asked questions on their driving habits, potential sources in vehicles and known risk factors. There were two types of exposure linked to vehicles – driving through industrial areas, and driving or being a passenger in a vehicle with windscreen wiper fluid not containing added screenwash. The researchers said that not adding screenwash is a previously unidentified risk factor and appears to be strongly associated with sporadic cases of Legionnaires' disease. They estimate that around 20% of community-acquired sporadic cases could be attributed to this exposure that using screenwash may help stop the transmission of bacteria to drivers and passengers. | |  Drop reported in LCV auction prices
The average value of light commercial vehicles sold at auction in May fell by 4.8% compared to April, according to the BCA auction group. They averaged £4,466 in May, after reaching a record level of £4,693 across the board in April. However, the market remains well ahead of 2009, with average monthly values having hovered around the £4,500 mark all year. To put this into context, the £4,000 ‘price barrier’ was breached for the first time in December 2009 and the market has not looked back since. Year-on-year comparisons show that May 2010 values are £871 (or 24%) ahead of the corresponding month last year. Duncan Ward, BCA’s General Manager (Commercial Vehicles) commented: “There has been a subtle slowing of demand in the used LCV market over recent weeks. Following month after month of rising values and records being established, this may come as a surprise to market watchers, but we are now entering that period of the year where prices have tended to slow. “Despite what we saw last year, values cannot keep rising inexorably – common sense suggests eventually the market will revert to type and we will start to see the peaks and troughs of a typical annual cycle. We have been telling our customers for some time that we expect prices to stabilise in 2010 and they have – at a significantly improved level above 2009 values. It is likely the used LCV market values will experience a more traditional pattern this year.” | | June 2010 |  Van market forecast increased
The Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders has increased its forecast for 2010 full year van registrations, following a better than anticipated first quarter. The trade association has hiked its projection by around 15,000 units above the previous quarterly forecast made in January this year (187,600). It now expects the market to total 202,000 units, 8.6% up on 2009, and believes that demand will continue to grow – to 216,000 next year and 234,000 in 2012, reflecting increased confidence and stability, and a sustained level of consumer demand. SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said, “Our latest forecasts reflect the better than expected results in the first quarter and improving consumer confidence. The coming months will be challenging, but industry remains cautiously optimistic. Sustaining the economic recovery and improving access to more and better priced finance for businesses and consumers should be the priority for any new government.” | |  Speed limiters mooted for vans
Vans and light trucks should be fitted with mandatory speed limiters in the European Union to prevent them exceeding 120 km/hour and to improve their fuel efficiency, a new EU report has proposed. The recommendation comes in a paper setting out the European Parliament's preliminary stance on cutting carbon emissions from vans. Parliament and the EU's 27 member countries will hammer out a final deal in the weeks ahead. “One ... way to tackle the problem would be to have mandatory speed limiters for light commercial vehicles” – by 2015, says the report. “These vehicles are almost exclusively used for commercial purposes and do not need to exceed 120 km/hour. The technology is available, it is a cheap and effective way of immediately lowering emissions and many commercial organisations retro-fit them to their vehicles." It suggests no changes to the short-term emissions target of 175g/km CO2, phased in from 2014 to 2016. The longer term 2020 target rises from 135g/km to 150g/km, while the penalty for van makers who exceed the targets drops from €120 to €95 a vehicle. The committee is due to vote on the report on 28 September 2010. However, the SMMT warned: “Such devices would result in an increase of lane changes for passing such vehicles reduction in traffic flow and increased risk of accidents. Furthermore, no further CO2 reduction can be achieved by mandatory installation of speed limitation devices.” | |  Support for smarter driving
The Energy Saving Trust’s Smarter Driving programme has been expanded to include commercial vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes. “Over the last year we’ve had a lot of enquiries from fleet managers about training in vans, but up until now we’ve had to turn people away,” said programme manager Bob Saynor. The first 10,000 motorists to do the training achieved an average 14.8% cut in fuel consumption between their ‘before’ and ‘after’ driving. Training costs £15 per person, based on training nine drivers per day, and the Energy Saving Trust provides the van, fuel and insurance as well as an instructor, although it is possible for organisations to use their own vehicles instead. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter takes top fleet title again The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter won Best Large Van at the 2010 Fleet World awards, for the third year running. Van Fleet World editor, John Kendall, said: “The latest Sprinter has a new 2.2-litre common rail diesel with lower emissions and better fuel consumption, while car-like driving characteristics belie the size of the larger models. Not surprisingly, they have become firm fleet favourites.” Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz Vans will be socially-networking, tweeting and blogging with biking and football enthusiasts this summer to highlight the athletic attributes of the Vito Sport and Sprinter vans. The Vito Sport is sponsoring two key events in the biking calendar, the MTB Series and the Animal Relentless Bike Tour. Mountain bikers can keep up to date with the latest news on Facebook: www.facebook.com/vitosport, or Twitter: www.twitter.com/thevitosport, or at www.biker.vitosport.co.uk. | |  Mercedes-Benz Sprinter takes top fleet title again
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter won Best Large Van at the 2010 Fleet World awards, for the third year running. Van Fleet World editor, John Kendall, said: “The latest Sprinter has a new 2.2-litre common rail diesel with lower emissions and better fuel consumption, while car-like driving characteristics belie the size of the larger models. Not surprisingly, they have become firm fleet favourites.” Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz Vans will be socially-networking, tweeting and blogging with biking and football enthusiasts this summer to highlight the athletic attributes of the Vito Sport and Sprinter vans. The Vito Sport is sponsoring two key events in the biking calendar, the MTB Series and the Animal Relentless Bike Tour. Mountain bikers can keep up to date with the latest news on Facebook: www.facebook.com/vitosport, or Twitter: www.twitter.com/thevitosport, or at www.biker.vitosport.co.uk. And, as World Cup fever builds, football fans will be able to tune into talkSPORT’s radio coverage, find out how celebrity and sporting guests perform at a weekly Sprinter Van ‘keepy uppy’ challenge, and have a go themselves online at www.madeforthepeople.com - with the chance to win a £50 voucher and a mini football table. | |
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