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Drivetech invests in its digital future with new look

960 640 Stuart O'Brien

Drivetech has been investing significantly in its operations over the last year to revolutionise the way it interacts with customers and help keep today’s drivers safe behind the wheel.

The UK’s leading driver training provider, part of the AA, has completed a rebrand to reflect the businesses greater emphasis on digital services that includes the process of transforming its customer portal. This supports the rapidly evolving fleet sector, with greater reach, a wider service offering and a strong digital future alongside its more traditional and successful on road driver training.

Charlie Norman, managing director at Drivetech, comments: “The driver behaviour, coaching and training industry has undergone a significant transformation over the past couple of years, with a noticeable uplift in digital training, in particular as a result of the pandemic. To reflect this change, Drivetech has unveiled a new logo that visually represents the passage of data transferring to reflect the ongoing integration of driver training with advances in technology, and the analysis of data to inform and further enhance safety.”

Norman explained: “We have increased the range and choice of online driver coaching and training interventions we can provide and are focused on improving core systems to support this expansion in range and customer benefits. We are committed to offer a range of modern and dynamic services and will strive to continue to deliver our driver training to the highest standard. We want our customers to benefit from a seamless service that better integrates valuable data at each point of the journey.”

As part of its digital transformation, Drivetech has recently launched several virtual assessments and training modules to support drivers. The offering includes a choice of online assessments depending on the type of vehicle driven and EV Co-Driver, an innovative way of communicating, educating and reinforcing EV best practice to help drivers get the most out of their vehicles and stay safe while behind the wheel. Drivetech has also launched Driver’s Mate, a comprehensive series of 90-second videos that champion and reinforce on-road safety practices to encourage better behaviours by refreshing driver awareness to deliver impactful change.

Similarly, Drivetech’s driver offender course delivery business, in conjunction with many UK police forces and UKROEd, has seen a major shift to digital delivery versus classroom based, so the rebrand also reflects changes here.

For more information about Drivetech, visit: www.drivetech.co.uk.

For safety’s sake, when was the last time you checked your fleet and drivers?

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By DriveTech

DriveTech, leaders in driver risk management and driver training and from the AA, have a new PULSE Fleet Risk Health Check service that could really help you save money and lives.

PULSE is a comprehensive and actionable fleet risk health check for the business community covering policies, drivers, vehicles and journeys – helping you to appreciate where the business is currently, and what the business leaders might need to prioritise for action. It’s an ideal way to kick-start a full appraisal of the organisation’s approach to driver risk, or a means of re-calibrating an existing driver risk programme that has not been reviewed for a significant period.

It will ensure that you work towards conforming to Health & Safety at Work legislation that extends to your drivers, and will also identify key aspects of your duty of care and whether you are providing this adequately, or perhaps it is in need of a re-focus and improvement. Our commitment is to help improve driver safety on-road, reduce collisions (and therefore reparation costs), save lives and help manage your reputation.

Our innovative fleet risk and driver training solutions help fleets ensure legal compliance, improve driver competence and reduce operating costs. 

DriveTech is also the UK’s largest provider of police diversionary training courses working with 34 police forces across the country.

Find out more about DriveTech’s comprehensive services for fleets, including PULSE at https://www.drivetech.co.uk/global-business-fleet-solutions/ , telephone: 01256 610907 or email: tellmemore@drivetech.co.uk

New & Improved – DriveTech Online Driver Risk Assessments & eLearning modules

960 640 Stuart O'Brien

By DriveTech

New in 2020 and as part of its comprehensive portfolio of driver risk management and driver training products DriveTech, the leader in driver training and part of the AA, has refreshed and improved its online risk assessment and expanded the range of online e-learning modules significantly.

This approach is ideal – even during social distancing and lockdown measures – as they can help to support your driving communities with easy digital access – still helping to keep drivers safe when they are on road.

Online driver risk assessments are a cost-effective and accessible way to assess the risk of fleet drivers. It keeps driver downtime to a minimum but still acts as a highly practical tool to establish the nature and weight of risk that any driver is likely to be exposed to in their specific driving patterns and experience. The online assessment creates a ‘risk exposure’ profile for each driver which can be used to identify drivers who are likely to be at higher risk.

A comprehensive range of e-learning modules are then available to drivers to help inform particular aspects of their driving that might be highlighted in the assessment as being relevant to driving better and safer.

These digital systems are an effective tool that can be completed 24/7 with simple access to a desktop, laptop, tablet or even smartphone. Call DriveTech on 01256 610907 or email us at tellmemore@drivetech.co.uk .

Find out more here: https://www.drivetech.co.uk/global-business-fleet-solutions/training-products-and-services/

DriveTech is offering online essential driver training guide free to help during the COVID-19 pandemic

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As part of DriveTech’s commitment to road safety and to help during the COVID-19 pandemic, they have created a new online course available free to any business operator where ‘other than normal business drivers’ are being called into essential action.

The online course takes around 20 minutes to complete and helps provide a backdrop to why driving for work needs serious focus and is even more important in time of crisis response.

The course covers everything in an easy and quick to digest format; from why driving for work is so important, to legal obligations, driver health and wellbeing, the vehicle in use – in particular driving a private vehicle on business, the journey and tasks involved, mitigating risk, and a specific section on Coronavirus official guidance and behaviours.

DriveTech recommends that any driver volunteering or being asked to help out in these unprecedented circumstances should be asked to complete this course – it should help keep people safe, stay the right side of the law and save lives.

The course can be accessed free from this link:

https://rise.articulate.com/share/vYV6Iynj7VBVB1MZDwcS14Yb2Akd168y#/

This commitment from DriveTech fits well alongside its support of the Road Safety GB campaign, “TAKE EXTRA CARE”, launched earlier in April, and of course also complements the DriveTech range of professional driver training and driver risk management programmes designed to help businesses reduce costs associated with vehicle collisions helping to save money, reputations and lives.

Find out more from DriveTech here: Web: www.drivetech.co.uk.

Tel: 01256 610907

Email: tellmemore@drivetech.co.uk

DriveTech proud of East of England Co-op partnership in driver training and risk management

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East of England Co-op is committed to its values and community spirit, they also place a lot of importance on the welfare of their employees, and this extends significantly to their driving for work and road safety policies and practices.

Neil Renaut, Head of Health and Safety at the East of England Co-op, commented: “We have over 580 drivers in the business – from HGV drivers, to funeral/hearse fleets, home delivery vans, and company car drivers – both “owned” and grey fleet. We needed to ensure that we provide this diverse range of drivers with a clear demonstration of our duty of care, and to provide them with road skills and driver training to keep them driving both safely and efficiently, as well as ensuring a safe and responsible approach to other road users and pedestrians. We are in a relatively rural area of the country too – so we also have our fair share of ‘rural’ challenges – remote roads, and often animals and farm vehicles to be aware of too. We have a clear Driver Policy, and this is presented to all new drivers coming on board to set the standard and expectations.”

The business has been using the driver training services of DriveTech, part of the AA, for a number of years now, and has seen some admirable and notable improvements in its driver safety profile as a result. DriveTech provides services that range from licence checking to online driver assessments and e-learning modules through to more specific on road driver training interventions where deemed valid and important as regards driver risk and circumstances. The collaboration and practical working relationship between Neil and his team and DriveTech has really worked well.

As regards headline performance improvement measures, Neil Renaut provides some impressive figures: “In 2013, we conducted licence checks only in the main. However, since we introduced a more comprehensive programme with DriveTech, we have seen a reduction in accidents and claims, most notably between 2013 and 2017 which saw a 32% reduction. Driving for work here at East of England Co-op is recognised as a key business task and one that we take very seriously.  We’re grateful for the professional support provided by DriveTech with the team there always working hard to provide good, effective service.”

The icing on the cake to the relationship recently was Neil Renaut winning  “Fleet Management Superstar” at the 2020 Great British Fleet Awards with DriveTech mentioned as an integral contributor to Neil and teams success

Find out more about how DriveTech can help at www.drivetech.co.uk , telephone 01256 610907 or email tellmemore@drivetech.co.uk.

DriveTech adds to training portfolio with new “Driving Stress” workshop

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The stress of everyday life, both work and personal, can often contribute to feeling tense on the road too.

Plenty of time is spent analysing fuel efficiencies and maintenance of vehicles but we often forget the most important element, the driver.

Driving stress is doing much more harm than you think. Commuting by car while stressed can increase the risk of being involved in an accident.

But it gets worse – driving itself can further contribute to stress, causing a detrimental effect on personal health, as well as lowering job and life satisfaction.

Most of us can relate to the feeling of being stuck in traffic and the inability to do anything – even after the traffic light in front of you changes to green. This scenario can hugely elevate stress levels.

2-Hour Driving Stress Workshop by DriveTech

The newest addition to DriveTech’s fleet risk management and driver training portfolio of courses is designed to help overcome stressful driving situations by encouraging problem solving, planning and positive reframing of stressors.

DriveTech, part of the AA, is a leading provider of fleet and driver risk management services and offers a range from licence checking to fleet risk health checks to online and on road assessments and training – all helped to support the business to provide a duty of care, conform to Health & Safety legislation, and keep their drivers safe whilst reducing costs.

It is appreciated that personnel responsible for fleet and the driving community itself have busy schedules. This workshop to last just 2 hours – hopefully not adding to much additional burden and stress onto the participants!

With a recommended 20 people per session, fleet operators could potentially arrange for 60 company drivers to attend this course in one day.

As part of the course deliverables, at the end of the course, participants will be able to:

– describe why driving can be stressful

– identify the main elements that can cause stress in driving

– understand how stress can have a negative effect on their abilities to drive safely

– list common issues which can make them feel stressed

– describe some physical symptoms of stress

– recognise how driving stress can escalate into potential conflict with over road users

– acknowledge the fact everyone will experience stress at times

– explain how sometimes driving stress can be good

– list how to avoid stress on the road both from their perspective and that of other road users

Find out more on the DriveTech website – here: 

https://www.drivetech.co.uk/news-and-resources/take-the-stress-free-road

or call 01256 610907 or email tellmemore@drivetech.co.uk.

GUEST BLOG: A momentary lapse in concentration

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By Colin Paterson, Head of Marketing, DriveTech (UK) Limited

I’m not entirely sure how I got there but on one of my frequent (and repetitive) motorway drives to and from work I got sandwiched between two larger vehicles on a stretch of ‘SMART’ motorway with four lanes running  – one HGV in lane 1, a van in lane 3 and me between them in lane 2.

It was busy and the van in lane 3 was suddenly slowing unpredictably (maybe the driver was immediately distracted by something – a mobile phone for instance). I was keen to go past and make progress but I sensed I was not at 100% concentration level for such a driving task in hand and of course needed to slow, move out to the fourth lane and then accelerate past the van to observe highway code laws and achieve this passing manoeuvre safely.

All of a sudden there was a sense of intimidation with these larger vehicles either side. But what was happening in terms of my concentration (never mind those other road users)? Pressure of some imminent deadlines at work (this article included!), the remote chance of my football team returning to glory and winning the Premiership title once at last, and with four children, there’s always some form of family challenge in the background too!

I’d somehow found myself in a position on road I wanted to change. How and when did that circumstance emerge, why didn’t I appreciate it sooner, why hadn’t I been more observant and planned? And why was the lorry driver distracted? He or she should have known better! I could feel a change in mood. Those vehicles are big, intimidating and frighteningly heavier than my passenger car. Do they even have clear and all-round visibility to see me?

A momentary lapse in concentration – I guess we all do it – car drivers, van drivers, truck drivers, bus and coach drivers – and other more vulnerable road users too – cyclists, motorcyclists. 

Maybe there’s an even greater likelihood of being in that state if I was in control of an autonomous vehicle when suddenly jolted back into the urgent need to take back direct control from the road equivalent of ‘auto-pilot’? But that’s for another piece some other future time!

Back to basics – good competent and regular driver training is good for you!

At DriveTech we use C.O.A.S.T. (Concentration, Observation, Anticipation, Speed, Time) as one mnemonic to support our professional driver training and for drivers of cars, trucks, vans, 4x4s and more – in fact anyone driving for or on business – these memory prompts are really useful to keep focus and do what is important – to make progress but safely, reducing risk wherever feasible. 

It’s just really important to instil these, and other, driving skills and behaviours so they become habitual, and remind those that are higher risk of best practice (or those that just slip into bad habits). Regular assessments and driver coaching interventions are incredibly valuable and can prove so on the bottom line as well as on immediate safety performance and in demonstrating a real duty of care to driving staff.

DriveTech offer a wide range of driver risk profiling, driver assessment, driver training and driver risk management services and we’re proud of what we do to help our business customers and improve road safety. 

We’ve currently got some mobile adverts roving the country to promote DriveTech and spread the road safety word – so how’s YOUR Driving?

Find out more: www.drivetech.co.uk,  tel 01256 610907, email: tellmemore@drivetech.co.uk