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FLEET QUIZ: How well do you know your road signs?

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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2022 saw over 5,483,000 commercial trucks, buses, vans and cars on the road, a record share of the total number of vehicles being actively driven. It is thought there are more professional drivers on the road than ever, suggesting that the average standard of driving is increasing. Despite this, over half of Britain’s drivers admit they struggle with the Highway Code, identifying a more widespread issue when it comes to knowing the road.

Many commercial drivers hold a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC), requiring regular re-certification – but if it’s been a while since your last training course, it’s always worth brushing up on your knowledge.

So, how well do you know your road signs? Some of the more unique signage might not appear in the Highway Code, but you might have seen them in a training course. If you’re a commercial taxi driver and any of this signage appears in your local area, they could even feature in your locality training. Here, the road surfacing experts at Instarmac take a look at some of the most commonly misunderstood road signs in the UK…

It’s one of the more common road signs, but a surprising number of people are unaware of what this sign means. This sign tells drivers that the road is a ‘clearway’ – which means no stopping under any circumstances.

That means no picking up or dropping off passengers, which has caught plenty of drivers out in the UK since these signs are commonly found outside schools.

Typically seen on rural roads near military bases, this sign tells you to watch out for slow-moving military vehicles crossing or driving on the road. Tanks can weigh up to 70 tons, so it’s unsurprising that they’re often limited to about 40 mph. One to be aware of if you’re driving near a military facility.

What kind of zone is this sign referring to? If you haven’t noticed any previous signs relating to parking restrictions, this sign can be confusing. But it simply means that any local parking restrictions are ending – so beyond this sign, parking is likely to be free. Always double check to be safe and avoid picking up a parking ticket.

This sign is another which commonly catches drivers out, thanks to its design (or lack of). If you see this sign, it means all vehicles are banned from using the road ahead. So, turn back or you could find yourself with a parking ticket!

No, your car isn’t automatically at risk of explosion if you see this sign. If you’re carrying explosives on behalf of your company or employer, however, you’ll be unable to enter this area. This sign means “No vehicles carrying explosives,” which could apply to couriers with sensitive cargo.

If you think this sign looks similar to the “no stopping” sign, that’s because it does. A blue circular background with a single diagonal red line across it means “no waiting” rather than no stopping. So, if you’re picking a passenger up in one of these areas, it’s worth avoiding stopping for too long.

If you’re often driving in rural areas, like Devon or Northumberland, you might’ve come across this sign before. It tells motorists that this road is a hotspot for Migratory Toad Crossings. Drivers should be aware of large numbers of toads crossing these roads, in order to reach their seasonal homes.

Usually seen near level crossings, or perhaps in tunnels, this sign denotes the fact that there are overhead electrical hazards in the area. It typically warns of danger, like the presence of overhead lines used for trains – particularly important for drivers of taller HGVs. You might also see similar signs near building sites where live overhead wires are providing power to large-scale plants or equipment.

Usually used when the road ahead splits into two, this sign tells drivers that both of the new lanes will direct people to the same location. This helps limit the need for drivers to merge or switch lanes – just stay the course and you’ll end up where you need to be.

This one seems fairly self-explanatory but it’s actually one of the UK’s rarer signs. This sign denotes a railway crossing with no marked barrier or gate to prevent crossing. Since most larger roads have gates to prevent people from crossing at the wrong time, you can expect these to primarily appear on smaller rural roads.

Nick Holmes, Technical Training Manager at Instarmac comments: “Knowing and understanding road signs is vital to being a safe driver and limiting the stress experienced by yourself and others. Some of these signs are incredibly common and all road users – especially those operating commercial vehicles – should be aware of them.

“Others in this list might seem like more of a novelty, but understanding how to react if you do see one of these signs is vital.”

Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash

Brake data: Speed-related road deaths and injuries up ‘significantly’

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Road deaths and serious injuries caused by driver speed rose significantly last year, according to analysis of government road casualty data by Brake, the road safety charity, for Road Safety Week 2023.

The latest road casualty statistics show that, in 2022, 1,766 people died on UK roads (1,711 in Britain, 55 in Northern Ireland), a 10% increase on figures from the previous year (see Table 1). Brake’s analysis also found that in the same period, road deaths caused by drivers exceeding the speed limit rose by 20% (see Table 2) [3].

Brake also carried out a public opinion survey, asking more than 2,000 drivers about their driving habits and attitudes to speed and speed limits [4]. The survey found that 92% of drivers think that speed limits are essential for the safety of our roads. Despite this, more than a third (34%) of those surveyed said they sometimes or often drive faster than the speed limit, and 40% think that driving just a little bit over the speed limit doesn’t matter. Two-fifths (39%) of drivers surveyed also agreed that the default speed limit on roads in built-up areas should be lowered from 30mph to 20mph, supporting changes that are taking place across the UK to make communities safer through the introduction of lower speed limits [5,6,7].

Brake is releasing the survey results at the start of its biggest annual road safety campaign, Road Safety Week, which runs from 19 to 25 November. The charity is calling on everyone to join a national conversation about speed, to raise awareness of the dangers of excessive and inappropriate speed, and challenge why so many people still think it is acceptable to drive faster than the speed limit.

Road Safety Week began on Sunday 19 November to coincide with the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, for which people across the world lit candles in memory of those killed or seriously injured on roads. Brake worked with local councils across the UK to get public buildings and other landmarks lit up in yellow, to show support for road victims.

This year, more than 3,400 schools, communities, organisations and emergency services, together representing more than 17 million people, have signed up to take part in Road Safety Week by organising local activities, sharing important road safety messages and posing the question: If five people die on UK roads every day, why do we still think it is ok to speed? Brake has provided free resources to everyone taking part in Road Safety Week, including campaigns toolkits, lesson plans and assemblies for school, as well as factsheets, films, posters and more for businesses, local communities and campaign groups.

Here are some examples of events that are taking place around the UK.

  • In South Yorkshire, Mayor Oliver Coppard and Active Travel Commissioner Ed Clancy will attend the Lifewise Centre in Rotherham to run road safety lessons with local schoolchildren. They will also be riding bicycles that will light up with road safety messages.
  • In London, the BT Tower will display a message supporting the central theme of Road Safety Week, Let’s talk about speed!
  • Blackburn and Darwen Borough Council will hold a road safety parade bringing together local high schools and primary schools to share important road safety messages. The parade will follow a pedestrianised route through the town centre, ending at Blackburn Town Hall where the Mayor of Blackburn will deliver a short speech.

The speed we choose to drive at can mean the difference between life and death. Our speed dictates whether we can stop in time to avoid a crash, and the force of impact if we can’t stop. This Road Safety Week, I urge you to join the conversation and talk about speed.

Ross Moorlock, interim CEO at Brake, said: “Road death is sudden. It’s traumatic. It sends shockwaves across families, schools, workplaces and communities. This year, we have already supported more than 1500 people affected by road crashes through our National Road Victim Service.

“Today, five people will be killed on our roads. And tomorrow, another five won’t make it home to their families. And so on, and so on, until we all say ‘Enough!’ and start taking responsibility for each other’s safety on the road.

“The speed we choose to drive at can mean the difference between life and death. Our speed dictates whether we can stop in time to avoid a crash, and the force of impact if we can’t stop. This Road Safety Week, whoever you are, and however you travel, I urge you to join the conversation and talk about speed. Please talk to as many people as you can to find out why, when five people die on our roads every day, so many of us still choose to drive too fast.”

Road Safety Week 2023 is organised by Brake, sponsored by Arval UK, Autoglass® and DHL Supply Chain, and supports the Department for Transport’s Think! campaign.

 

Unmarked HGV cabs spot 700 offences in police crackdown

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Almost 700 offences were spotted in just one week by police officers patrolling the M1 in National Highways’ unmarked HGV cabs.

Eight police forces travelled the route between Leeds and London in the HGVs on the look-out for unsafe driving in a week of action targeting the motorway.

They stopped a total of 663 vehicles and uncovered 691 offences. The most common offence was not wearing a seatbelt with 239 people caught without their belt on – 73 in South Yorkshire alone.

This was followed by 181 people spotted using a mobile phone at the wheel then 44 drivers not in proper control of their vehicle and 43 driving without due care and attention.

Penalties ranged from words of advice and traffic offence reports to 14 court summons and even five arrests.
National Highways provides the unmarked HGV cabs to police forces across the country as part of Operation Tramline. From the elevated position in the HGV, officers can spot unsafe driving behaviour – whatever vehicle the motorist may be in.

The 663 vehicles stopped included 180 HGVs and 204 private vehicles.

They included one driver in Northamptonshire who was stopped due to the front side windows being heavily tinted and when tested they only allowed 11% of light through. The driver did admit to officers: ‘I sometimes have to wind the window down to see at night’. He was reported for having a vehicle in a dangerous condition.

The same force also stopped this driver with an insecure load for which he argued ‘that their own weight holds them on’. They were also reported for traffic offences.

Meanwhile Derbyshire Police spotted a number of insecure loads during the week of action – labelled Operation Freeway – including this vehicle which was seen travelling along the motorway.

The week of action took place during the first week of March during some severe wintry weather. Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Police officers had to pull over a number of vehicles to remove the snow off their roof or turn their lights on as visibility was very reduced.

National Highways Head of Road Safety, Jeremy Phillips, said: “Hundreds of thousands of motorists travel over 21 million miles on the M1 every day – accounting for one in seven of all motorway journeys – and the vast majority are safe and legal drivers.

“But there is a minority that continue to put themselves and others at risk. It is disappointing that almost 700 offences were spotted in just one week – but thanks to Operation Freeway those drivers were prevented from continuing with their unsafe behaviours.

“Through this week of action we aim to reduce the number of incidents on the M1 and to encourage motorists to think about their driving and to adopt safer behaviours.”

Lightfoot backs Brake’s National Road Victim Month

 960 640 Guest Post
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Lightfoot, the award-winning in-cab driver technology and rewards platform, has announced that it is one of the chief sponsors of a major new virtual fleet safety exhibition being run and organised by Brake, as part of National Road Victim Month.

The Global Fleet Champion Virtual Fleet Exhibition, which takes place this August, sees several of the industry’s leaders in driver safety come together to help reduce accidents and fatalities experienced on the roads, not just in the UK but also around the world.

Showcasing projects, partnerships and products involving fleet operators and suppliers, the event is designed to highlight how initiatives can be used to improve road safety. Brake sees this as vital in the drive to reduce collisions caused by and involving ‘at work’ drivers, who account for one in three crashes on our roads each year.

Lightfoot, which is one of seven partners to participate in the event, has been chosen as its technology plays a key role in reducing accidents and instances of dangerous driving amongst users.  Its innovative in-cab driver feedback helps cut at-fault accidents by up to 40% and helps fleets achieve greater efficiency from their vehicles with fuel savings of up to 15%. Lightfoot additionally reduces harmful emissions by up to 15%, and wear and tear costs by as much as 45%.

Lightfoot’s impact on driver safety has led to endorsements from many of the UK’s leading Insurers and Brokers, due to the effectiveness of its pocket-sized dashboard display device, which uses live engine data to provide drivers with real-time visual and audible feedback, helping fleets to improve efficiency and safety one mile at a time.  

Lightfoot’s disruptive approach, based on nudge psychology with input from the Institute of Advanced Motorists and leading driver-behaviour experts at Bath University, uses advanced, real-time engine analytics to help drivers improve both efficiency and safety, rewarding them for being better through a unique driver gamification and rewards platform. 

Tests undertaken by Bath University’s Institute of Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems have proven a direct correlation between Lightfoot’s in-cab visual alerts and reductions in NOx. Its studies show that if drivers half the number of lights lit up on Lightfoot’s pocket-sized in-cab dashboard device, a fivefold reduction in NOx is achieved.

Encouraging smoother, safer driving, Lightfoot gives users full insight into their performance and score via its end of journey score and rewards app. The app provides access to exclusive competitions, which drivers can opt into as soon as they achieve Lightfoot’s ‘Elite Driver’ standard; the point at which fleets see the biggest falls in accidents, the best efficiencies and savings across the board. 

In addition to the highly popular cash-prize Drivers’ Lottery, drivers can enter competitions for a range of other prizes that serve as an incentive to maintain a smoother driving style.

Considered revolutionary in the fleet management and telematics worlds, Lightfoot’s disruptive approach to reducing accidents has been adopted by some of the largest companies in the market, including Virgin Media, Dixons Carphone, and South West Water. 

Martin Kadhim, Partnerships Director at Lightfoot, commented: “Safety on the roads should be an organisation’s number one priority, both to its workforce and members of the public. That sits at the heart of what we do at Lightfoot, and its why we’re big supporters of National Road Victim Month, the Global Fleet Champions campaign and its virtual exhibition.

“Our obsession at Lightfoot lies in reducing accidents on the road. It’s precisely why we reward better driving. Only if a driver wants to be better and has a vested interest in doing so can you have any certainty of actual change. Achieve that, and you instantly increase safety on the road. It’s why motivation and reward sit at the core of all we do.

“But we also go further,” adds Martin Kadhim. “On top of that, we provide fleet managers with a suite of other services and technology to better protect the health and wellbeing of their staff. This includes our First Notice of Loss (FNOL) service, enabling businesses to protect drivers by alerting fleet managers to incidents and accidents, enhancing their Duty of Care. Now, those responsible for fleets can instantly assess the level of response required following an incident and can contact drivers so that they can establish if attendance by the emergency services is required.”

Many companies who turn to Lightfoot have had telematics systems for years, which have always provided a wealth of data to managers who are then relied on to communicate this information back to drivers. Companies have realised that this approach is fundamentally broken and the wrong way around. Instead, they look to Lightfoot’s bottom-up approach to engage and reward drivers, empowering those in the driving seat to effect change. 

Using smart technology, which takes account of different factors such as load and road gradient, Lightfoot provides live, visual and audio in-cab coaching which instantly changes driving style ‘in the moment’. Combined with encouraging end-of-journey scores, rewards packages, driver leagues and the Lightfoot app, which provides weekly competitions for Elite Drivers to enter, Lightfoot is helping to create a new breed of safe and efficient drivers on our roads.

To find out more about how Lightfoot can engage with your drivers to drive fleet performance improvements, visit https://www.lightfoot.co.uk/.

To find out more about events taking place as part of The Global Fleet Champions Virtual Fleet Exhibition, visit    https://globalfleetchampions.org/virtual-fleet-exhibition/