RoSPA Press Office : Press Release

November 16, 2006
SAFETY CHECKS NEEDED FOR TECHNOLOGY IN COMPANY CARS

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has issued new guidelines for employers to ensure technology in company vehicles is used to improve safety and not to put drivers in danger.

The Society says it is essential that managers and drivers understand what technology can and cannot do and realise the potential risks of misusing it.

The document Driving for Work: Vehicle Technology covers such things as satellite navigation systems, speed warning devices, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot information systems, electronic braking and stability systems and black boxes.

Kevin Clinton, RoSPA Head of Road Safety, said: “Technology used correctly can reduce the risk of drivers crashing, but if it is used incorrectly it can increase the risk.

“Sat-Navs, for instance, are supposed to help drivers to make earlier and better decisions, but people must still pay attention to their route to ensure the system does not recommend an unsuitable manoeuvre. Drivers must also obey road signs and markings irrespective of what the Sat-Nav tells them to do.

“Speed warning devices can inform people of dangerous stretches of road and alert them if they are exceeding the limit. Managers need to ensure they are used to improve safety and not to enable speeding by using them to dodge cameras.

“Over-reliance on technology such as a fatigue warning device could lead to someone driving when they are too tired, and too many different devices could also prove distracting.”

The RoSPA guidance will help employers and line managers to implement policies so that: the benefits and risks of providing technology in company vehicles are properly assessed; staff are trained in its correct use; and the effects of its introduction are monitored.

With new devices being developed all the time, it is vital that employers tackle the issue, not just for company cars and vans, but also when employees use their own vehicles. Managers investigating a crash need to consider whether the misuse of in-vehicle technology may have contributed to it.

Driving for Work: Vehicle Technology, produced with the support of the Department for Transport, is available free from the Road Safety Department, RoSPA, 353 Bristol Road, Birmingham B5 7ST, or can be downloaded from RoSPA’s website at www.rospa.com/roadsafety .