Nigel Grainger brings together a related set of skills that all fleets require, to greater or lesser
degrees, but which may not have the staffing or the skills to fulfil those needs.
Bringing his wealth of experience in all areas of fleet management he offers a bespoke service through his company Fleet Risk Consultants, providing you with a cost effective fleet that complies fully with your 'duty of care' requirements.Risk Management – Why seat-belts are fitted to vehicles
The manufacturers fit seat-belts to vehicles to help you manage the risk of injury when involved in a collision. So what makes a perfectly sane and intelligent person think that they can defy the laws of Physics?
I am talking about the belief that some people have that in an impact they will be able sit in their seat without moving. Now here in the UK it is illegal to travel in a vehicle without wearing a seat belt, if one is fitted in the vehicle and this includes lorries, which do have seat belts fitted now.
I have met lorry drivers who wear their seat belts in their cars, but then don’t wear the seat belt in the lorry. Now I fail to see the logic in that situation, do they really think that the laws of Physics don’t apply in a truck?
What drivers who choose not to wear a seat belt fail to appreciate is the law of attraction between their head and the windscreen. In a collision the driver will be propelled forwards with a huge force and you will impact on the windscreen which is rather hard and, trust me here, it will hurt.
The video produced by the Department for Transport call ‘Backwards’ says it all.
As a collision investigator I have seen the aftermath of collisions and those where the occupants have not been wearing their seat belts are horrific.
It may also have an effect on any injury compensation that you may be entitled to if you are not to blame for the collision. This article by Chris Lodge explains it in more detail.
If you have employees driving on behalf of your business you had better have a policy statement that tells drivers they must wear seat belts and ensure passengers are properly secured, and you had better enforce that policy or you could find yourself facing an investigation under Corporate Manslaughter Legislation.
Nigel Grainger
Senior Consultant