🕒 Article read time: 2 minutes
What safety systems should a van operator consider for the new Van Excellence audit?
Van Gold Partners
As discussed during the Van Gold Partner Webinar on 15 February 2021, Logistics UK’s Van Excellence Standards have been updated to help prevent or mitigate road collisions, by requiring operators to enhance safety through the fitment of additional safety features to their vehicles.
Unlike other vehicle safety schemes, Logistics UK’s Van Excellence vehicle safety audit provides flexibility, allowing van operators to choose systems that best suit their business needs while delivering to the highest safety standards. Safety of road users has always been important, but is gaining more public interest, and has been recognised through the Mayor of London’s Vision Zero strategy to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries from London’s transport network by 2041.
Logistics UK Van Excellence Gold Partner, Brigade Electronics, specialises in safety equipment for vehicles and has made a number of recommendations on how to improve vehicle safety, including conducting an initial risk assessment to ascertain the following:
- Is it a large or small van? This would suggest how much room there is in the cab, the size of the blind spots and the length of the vehicle.
- What type of vehicle is it? Is there a bulkhead that restricts rear vision? Is it electric and does it need a vehicle sounder to warn people it is approaching?
- What sort of work is the vehicle doing? Is it frequently working around vulnerable road users, such as schools and universities? Does the driver need an audible warning that someone is in the vehicle’s blind spot?
- Is there frequent vehicle damage? If so, the driver may require sensors to assist when manoeuvring.
- Are insurance claims frequent or high value? If so, a hard-wired digital recording system may be more appropriate than a Dashcam?
Brigade Electronics also recommends a combination of active and passive systems for maximum safety. The company believes that as a minimum, van operators should look at a camera monitor system and a white sound reversing alarm. This increases visibility around the vehicle and alerts road users when the vehicle is reversing. If an operator wants to improve safety further, sensors will assist low-speed manoeuvring by providing the driver with an audible alert to warn of the vehicle’s proximity to an object. Systems can also be connected to a real speech alarm to warn cyclists and vulnerable road users of the vehicle’s intended manoeuvre.
The gold standard of systems, in the view of Brigade Electronics, would include a digital recording system to capture footage for incident reporting, to reduce insurance premiums and for driver training. Furthermore, operators should also consider the following when choosing a supplier to ensure product is supported through every stage of the customer journey:
- What warranties are available?
- What support is available in the event of a system break down?
- What testing/certification does the product have?
- Can the supplier provide fitment?
The safety of all road users and pedestrians is crucial and it is important that each business is able to individually assess the best safety features for their vehicles and business needs. Logistics UK will continue to work with members, government and sponsors to ensure the best solutions for all.
*www.logistics.org.uk/van
Published On: 08/04/2021 17:00:11
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