Van drivers are more likely to be involved in collisions due to tiredness and tailgating rather than speeding, according to a new report by Road Safety Analysis (RSA).
The report, which explores the trends surrounding van driver collisions in Great Britain, has been compiled by RSA in partnership with AXA Business Insurance.
RSA used its MAST Online data analysis tool to analyse 1.34m motor vehicle drivers involved in injury collisions between 2008 and 2012, which included 65,000 crashes involving van drivers.
The report says that collisions involving vans often follow very different patterns from other vehicle crashes. It says that van drivers are crashing more due to tiredness and tailgating and identifies situations which are “far more dangerous in a van” including reversing, motorway driving, parking and changing lanes.
On the other hand, the report says that van drivers “crash less through speed” and are better at negotiating cities, roundabouts, traffic jams and built-up environments.
The report concludes that driver training is “essential”, as is getting better information to employers/drivers on the “special dangers of these vehicles” including longer stopping distances, the effects of loads on vehicle response and visibility issues.
Dare I point out the reason for fewer incidents on Fridays, they generally get paid Friday after lunch and so finish early, making up work on a Saturday morning.
bob craven Lancs
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Obviously driving a van requires more skill than a car for many reasons, but how about that they drive more miles a week than Mr/Mrs average? Was this fact taken into consideration in yet another survey that somebody can just re-quote, or use to justify more legislation.
Terry hudson, Kent
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On the contrary, it’s not just speeders or rather those who would rather drive faster than the vehicle in front.
There is a belief amongst van drivers that because they sit well above the normal height in their vans that they believe that they can see further ahead ie over the roof of the car in front, and that they can see more and thus stop if needs be. This is of course a mistaken belief as they don’t see what’s happening under their eyes directly in front of them and under their noses.
As for overtaking, reversing, changing lanes motorway driving and parking they all include the use of rear view mirrors. I have mentioned this before that as they have no interior mirror and they rely on external ones that show a mistaken and disproportionate distance away from any vehicle that they have overtaken or any distance in a need to be judged by use of said mirrors. On overtaking it’s just the same as any other car driver not checking his interior mirror but looking at the overtaken car in the nearside exterior one. They then cut you up as they believe that you are further away than you actually are. Something that really needs looking at as it is the cause of much anger and anguish and consternation and tailgating.
bob crave Lancs
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I think RSA and AXa’s faith in the accuracy of accident reporting and Stats 19 is touching, but misguided. Conclusions can then become wrongly ‘set in stone’. As an aside, tailgating is what speeders do when there’s a vehicle in front preventing them, so it’s misleading to imply they’re two separate faults.
Hugh Jones, Cheshire
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