Are Your Vans Delivering Safely?

Online shopping and "last-mile deliveries", particularly since the start of the Covid pandemic, have resulted in more vans than ever on Irish roads. The latest CSO figures show that there are now more than 330,000 vans licenced in Ireland - an increase of 50,000 or 20% since 2013. Vans - including box vans, crew cabs and pick-ups) now account for more than nine out of 10 goods vehicles in Ireland.

However, unlike regulated heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and buses, vans and their drivers are not subject to the strict driver training, drivers’ hours restrictions and regulations.

A recent study, "Driving for work: A strategic review of risks associated with cars and light vans" conducted in 2020 on behalf of Roadsafe and Highways for England, found more deaths occur from at-work road trips than at the workplace. This echoes similar findings by the HSA in Ireland showing work-related vehicle-related deaths outnumbering all other workplace fatalities - despite the risks faced in industries such as farming and construction.

The research warns that despite a rapid increase in vans in the UK (up 27% from 3.24m light goods vehicles in 2011 to 4.12m in 2019) and people working in the gig economy, this sector falls outside the strict regulations governing other occupational drivers.

With the large and growing cohort of vans in the UK, Driving for Better Business (DfBB) believes it is a common misconception that there is no legislation governing van drivers and van operations.

Working with the Highways England Commercial Vehicle Incident Prevention Team, DfBB is producing a series of free driver information cards to assist van drivers and fleet operators in dispelling uncertainty and myth. The cards will help you implement best practice for what is required to reduce costs, improve operating conditions and ensure safe and legal vehicles and wellbeing for drivers at all times.

Those fleets who are registered with Driving for Better Business will be notified when the toolkit becomes available. You can register your interest in The Van Driver Toolkit here.

Sources:

CSO Transport Omnibus - https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-tranom/transportomnibus2019/

UCL UK "Driving for work: A strategic review of risks associated with cars and light vans and implications for policy and practice" - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/civil-environmental-geomatic-engineering/sites/civil-environmental-geomatic-engineering/files/final_report_ward_christie_walton_dec_2020.pdf

Driving for Better Business - https://www.drivingforbetterbusiness.com/van-driver-toolkit/