VAN DRIVERS REMINDED TO WEAR SEATBELTS AT ALL TIMES AND NOT

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Letter to Branches




No. 972/11
Ref V6
Date: 17 November 2011

To: All Branches,

Dear Colleagues,

VAN DRIVERS REMINDED TO WEAR SEATBELTS AT ALL TIMES AND NOT TO USE MOBILE PHONES OR OTHER HAND HELD DEVICES WHILST DRIVING:

Overview

This advice is being issued to Branches and Safety Reps as a reminder to drivers of the importance of wearing a seat belt and not using a mobile phone or other device and in order to warn members who drive vans following the most recent findings of two published reports ‘Mobile Phone and Seat Belt Usage Rates by Drivers" from the London Road Safety Unit and "Car telephone use and road safety" from the European Commission.

The main culprits for driving without a seatbelt and mobile phone use are van drivers and their passengers with the latest reports reflecting earlier RoSPA and Dft research. The reports identified that only between 61% - 69% of van drivers and their passengers regularly wear a seatbelt.

Some people simply forget to wear their belts or wrongly think they are exempt and need to be encouraged to get into the habit. Others may not feel they are necessary!

In summary, the results are cause for concern.! For mobile phone use by Drivers, the results showed that the proportion of drivers using mobile phones (either hand-held or hands-free) had increased although at least a greater proportion of drivers were using hands-free phones while driving, compared to a higher proportion using hand-held mobile phones in previous surveys.

Key Messages

Estimates indicate that considerable casualty savings could be achieved if more vehicle occupants wore seat belts and fewer drivers used mobile phones while driving. Wearing a seatbelt is the single most important thing you can do to ensure your safety when travelling in a motor vehicle. Increased use of seat belts has been one of the major factors in road safety improvements in the UK. Seat belt wearing is estimated to save over 2000 lives every year. Since the first seatbelt law was introduced in 1983, 50,000 lives have been saved through motorists wearing them. Despite this, there is a persistent minority of road users who continue to ignore the rules and advice, putting themselves and others at risk of
being killed or seriously injured.  If everyone followed basic rules and advice we could see a significant reduction in deaths and serious injuries.


Background

In January 1983 the use of seat belts by car and van drivers and front seat passengers was made compulsory in the UK in order to reduce
the number and severity of casualties in a collisions.

In 1991 the use of seat belts for rear seat passengers was made compulsory in the UK where belts were available.

In 2003 the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving was banned in the UK .

In September 2006 a new regulation was introduced requiring drivers to ensure that any child travelling in their vehicle uses an appropriate
type of restraint.

In February 2007 the penalties for using a hand-held phone increased to three penalty points and the fine was doubled to £60.

Survey Results - Seat Belts
Car Drivers wearing Seat Belts - London 89% National 92%
Van Drivers Wearing Seat Belts - London 61% National 69%

Royal Mail Drivers
 
There is no Seat Belt exemption for Royal Mail drivers whatsoever, and contrary to some peoples opinions there is no exemption for short trip collection or delivery drivers!  
 
With the recent introduction by Royal Mail of more Car Derived Vans (CDVs) / Shared Van delivery Routes during the introduction of new delivery methods revisions a significant number of drivers have been caught without a seatbelt on and have received a Fixed penalty notice fine of £60.  If the matter goes to court then a Maximum Fine of £500 applies.

The only time a Driver is exempt from wearing a seat belt if you're:
·  a driver who is reversing, or supervising a learner driver who is reversing
·  in a vehicle being used for police, fire and rescue services
·  a passenger in a trade vehicle and you're investigating a fault
·  driving a goods vehicle on deliveries that is travelling no more than 50 metres between stops
·  a licensed taxi driver who is 'plying for hire' or carrying passengers

Clearly the above does not apply to Royal Mail Drivers. A doctor may decide that an individual under certain medical circumstances may be exempted from wearing a seat belt on medical grounds. If so, they will issue a 'Certificate of Exemption from Compulsory Seat Belt Wearing', which must be kept in the vehicle and shown to the police if stopped. Individuals will need to tell the employer and their private car insurer that they're travelling without a seat belt. Royal Mail may decide that individuals with certain medical conditions are not fit to drive their commercial vehicles.


Effects On Driving Performance

Seatbelts: Save 2000 lives a year. A driver is twice as likely to die in a crash if they don’t wear a seat belt. Seat belts reduce the risk of dying in a 30mph
crash by 60 per cent. Every day someone dies because they do not think they always need to use a seat belt. THEY DO! This tragic waste could be avoided
if everyone took the simple step of belting up every time they got in a vehicle. That's why the DfT run hard-hitting campaigns which highlight the injuries
drivers are likely to receive if they are involved in a collision when not using a seatbelt – even at low speeds. These campaigns, along with the fixed
penalty fines for not using a seatbelt are aimed at fewer people needlessly getting killed on our roads.

Mobile Phones: Research shows that using a car telephone while driving distracts the driver and causes driving behaviour which adversely affects road
safety. While hands-free phones and other devices, such as speed dialling and voice activation reduce physical distraction, the most important negative
factor associated with using a mobile phone while driving, whether hands-free or hand-held, is diversion of attention from driving to the conversation
itself. The extent of the negative effects of telephone use while driving depends on the complexity of both the conversation and the driving situation.
Driver reaction times are 30% slower when telephoning while driving than driving whilst over the Legal Alcohol limit and 50% slower than under normal
driving conditions. Texting while driving basically doubles a driver's reaction time and makes the driver less able to respond to sudden roadway dangers,
if a vehicle were to make a sudden stop in front of them or if a child was to run across the road."

Motoring Offences      

Seat Belt Offence Penalties:        
If you Fail to wear a seatbelt, you could face:
A £500 fine If the case goes to court.
A fixed penalty £60 fine.
No penalty points will be endorsed on the drivers licence.

Mobile Phone Offence Penalties:

It is illegal to use a handheld mobile phone or a device for sending or receiving data while driving. This includes Blackberry and PDA devices if they have a mobile phone built-in. If you use a handheld mobile phone or similar device while driving, you could face:

A fixed penalty £60 fine.

Three penalty points on your driving licence.

Higher insurance costs.

A £1,000 fine If the case goes to court, you could face:

Discretionary disqualification.

The above penalties apply if you are distracted and not in proper control of the vehicle when using a handsfree phone or similar device.


Advice

Please take note of the following advice:

If you call someone on their mobile phone and they turn out to be driving, please hang up and call them when they’re not driving.
If you drive as part of your work and need to use the phone for work, put your phone on voicemail and listen to messages when you are safely
parked.

You can call 999 or 112 if there is a genuine emergency where it is unsafe or impractical to stop.

You can use a phone when safely parked, and when you are a passenger.

Wear your Seat Belt at All Times!




Yours Sincerely
Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

[CWU - Raising awareness of the potential consequences of not wearing a seat belt and of using a mobile phone while driving.]

[DGP1]

Trying to get people in my office to put their seatbelts on is like trying to push back the tide, they just don't want to spend the second it takes because it slows them down too much. Best thing to do is to activate all the seatbelt warning alarms on the vans (really annoying beeping to me anyway) and then start to conduct those who fail to either use them of who plug them in and then sit on them.

[Lounge Lizard]

Trying to get people in my office to put their seatbelts on is like trying to push back the tide, they just don't want to spend the second it takes because it slows them down too much. Best thing to do is to activate all the seatbelt warning alarms on the vans (really annoying beeping to me anyway) and then start to conduct those who fail to either use them of who plug them in and then sit on them.

But it is argued that you only need seatbelts ( or insurance ) if you're going to crash.
And activating the seatbelt warning alarms will only result in the passenger's belt being inserted to shut them up.

[DGP1]

Trying to get people in my office to put their seatbelts on is like trying to push back the tide, they just don't want to spend the second it takes because it slows them down too much. Best thing to do is to activate all the seatbelt warning alarms on the vans (really annoying beeping to me anyway) and then start to conduct those who fail to either use them of who plug them in and then sit on them.

But it is argued that you only need seatbelts ( or insurance ) if you're going to crash.
And activating the seatbelt warning alarms will only result in the passenger's belt being inserted to shut them up.

I know, I've seen it done but the people just get away with it because the managers don't want to deal with it. I personally don't know why people are so resistant to it, we all wear them when we're driving our cars so why not in the vans.

[PhilthyPhil]

Royal Mail Drivers
 
There is no Seat Belt exemption for Royal Mail drivers whatsoever, and contrary to some peoples opinions there is no exemption for short trip collection or delivery drivers! 
 
With the recent introduction by Royal Mail of more Car Derived Vans (CDVs) / Shared Van delivery Routes during the introduction of new delivery methods revisions a significant number of drivers have been caught without a seatbelt on and have received a Fixed penalty notice fine of £60.  If the matter goes to court then a Maximum Fine of £500 applies.

The only time a Driver is exempt from wearing a seat belt if you're:
·  a driver who is reversing, or supervising a learner driver who is reversing
·  in a vehicle being used for police, fire and rescue services
·  a passenger in a trade vehicle and you're investigating a fault
·  driving a goods vehicle on deliveries that is travelling no more than 50 metres between stops
·  a licensed taxi driver who is 'plying for hire' or carrying passengers

surely this is contradictory?

Clearly the above does not apply to Royal Mail Drivers.

What? So RM drivers never reverse??

[hantsman]

Trying to get people in my office to put their seatbelts on is like trying to push back the tide, they just don't want to spend the second it takes because it slows them down too much. Best thing to do is to activate all the seatbelt warning alarms on the vans (really annoying beeping to me anyway) and then start to conduct those who fail to either use them of who plug them in and then sit on them.

But it is argued that you only need seatbelts ( or insurance ) if you're going to crash.
And activating the seatbelt warning alarms will only result in the passenger's belt being inserted to shut them up.

I know, I've seen it done but the people just get away with it because the managers don't want to deal with it. I personally don't know why people are so resistant to it, we all wear them when we're driving our cars so why not in the vans.

You don't see many RM drivers wearing seat belts, they are also on the phone alot while driving, why? Because it saves time Im thinking.

[DGP1]

You don't see many RM drivers wearing seat belts, they are also on the phone alot while driving, why? Because it saves time Im thinking.

Well, maybe it's time for the police to start fining those who don't, saving time shouldn't be anything to do with it, if you can finish when following ALL RMs own rules then fine and if you can't then..............

[DB1100]

Not wearing seatbelts costs 2000 lives a year and Government figures state that 2700 people will die of the cold this year caused by fuel poverty so by that reckoning you are better off driving without a seat belt and the heater on than you are staying at home watching tv

[emmaa_uk]

my driver doesnt wear his at all and but insists that i do and drives recklessly

[Lounge Lizard]

Not wearing seatbelts costs 2000 lives a year and Government figures state that 2700 people will die of the cold this year caused by fuel poverty so by that reckoning you are better off driving without a seat belt and the heater on than you are staying at home watching tv

Yes, but that's just the Government playing about with statistics.
It's been proved that the protection given by seat belts has resulted in motorists driving faster, more recklessly and so causing more accidents.
There's therefore an argument for seat belts, airbags and other such 'safety' devices to be removed from motor vehicles.

[andy2007]

The problem with that, is that there's more than just you on the roads. About 10 years ago, I was hit from behind, whilst waiting for a gap to join an island. I was glad of my seatbelt then.