Free ‘Toolbox Talks’ aims to boost safety of van drivers

11.35 | 17 March 2023 |

National Highways has launched a series of ‘Toolbox Talks’ – short, easy to follow videos designed to help organisations educate drivers who use light commercial vehicles.

The eight videos are available through National Highways’ Driving for Better Business (DfBB) programme.

They ‘cut through the myths’ to help keep drivers safe, vans legal and to ensure employers comply with not just road traffic legislation but also their health and safety at work responsibilities. 

Each video also has a short quiz at the end to help drivers check their understanding of what they’ve just learned.

The videos cover the following subjects:

  • Fatigue
  • Drivers’ hours
  • Safe towing
  • Distractions
  • Severe weather
  • Speed limits
  • Roadworthiness
  • Safe loading

They were unveiled at a one-day conference, which took place at the National Space Centre in Leicester on 16 March.

Mark Cartwright, head of the Commercial Vehicle Incident Prevention Team at National Highways, said: “The Toolbox Talks are aimed at the huge number of van operators who may not have the in-house expertise or resources and have a hazy understanding of the law.

 “When HGVs are pulled over by the DVSA, the driver is usually aware of what’s gone wrong. With van drivers, they often say they simply weren’t aware of the law. 

“But it’s worth knowing that 89% of vans stopped by DVSA are overloaded, and the average fine per overloading offence is around £972. Ignorance is no defence.”

About the videos
The videos look to build on the success of DfBB’s Van Driver Toolkit.

The ‘straight-talking’ video on fatigue says that one in five incidents is caused by tiredness and 40% of such incidents involve a commercial vehicle. It goes on to give tips to avoid drowsy driving. 

Meanwhile, the roadworthiness module lands some ‘powerful’ points on daily walkarounds: 39% of vans fail their MOT first time; 66% of all vans stopped at the roadside have serious mechanical defects; and of those, 85% should have been identified via a proper pre-use check. 

The section on speed limits explains the difference between car-derived vans and other vans, why they don’t have the same legal speed limits on single and dual carriageways. On safe loading, the talk explains gross vehicle weight, kerbside weight and payload weight and the safest ways to secure a load.

 Driver distractions explains the types – visual, manual, auditory and cognitive – that can all affect driving skill, as well addressing the use of mobile phones. 

The video on drivers’ hours says there is a common misconception that driving a vehicle at or below 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight is not subject to restrictions. In fact there are two different sets of rules that can apply and drivers breaking these rules can receive large fines and even custodial sentences.

The section on safe loading and drivers helps operators to understand the difference between gross vehicle weight, kerbside weight and payload weight. Guidance on the severe weather module will be familiar to all drivers but it also addresses the effects of high-sided vehicles on other road users such as motorcyclists and how gales and gusts can affect the handling of commercial vehicles.


 

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