A thought-provoking film featuring the death of a child in a van collision has been released by the Freight Transport Association (FTA)– the UK’s biggest freight transport membership organisation – to highlight the importance of safety and compliance in van operations.
In the film – One Fateful Day – the van driver is distracted by talking to his office on his mobile phone. He is also found to have been taking drugs and to have a defective vehicle – all of which have catastrophic consequences for the driver, operations manager and company owner.
The film is the brainchild of FTA’s Head of Vans and LCVs Mark Cartwright, who has recreated the scenario at Van Excellence Operational Briefings throughout the UK this year to raise awareness of the issues of driver distraction and compliance.
FTA’s Van Excellence is the only scheme of its kind in Europe, providing a baseline code of practice for operators to ensure they are meeting set standards of safety and compliance and enabling members to share good practice.
Recent increases in penalties for mobile phone use while driving and changes to corporate manslaughter legislation have all impacted on van operations, but many operators are unaware of the implications.
Mark said: “Van safety is a serious business and it’s vital that operators understand the consequences of not treating it as a priority. This film clearly outlines what can happen from the perspective of the driver, operations manager and company owner. It will serve as a wake-up call to those who are currently turning a blind eye to many of the issues highlighted.”
Clips from the film can be viewed on FTA’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/theftachannel.
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