Arval sends shocking road safety message to employees and customers

In conjunction with Road Safety Week, fleet and fuel management specialist, Arval, has highlighted the potentially fatal results of common errors behind the wheel, with a dramatic re-enactment of a road traffic crash.

Arval employees, customers, local school children and Wiltshire county council representatives were invited to watch the shocking ‘Crash Event’ which involved the participation of local emergency services and re-created in detail a 35mph crash with three car passengers and a cyclist

Co-ordinated by road safety charity, Brake, the re-enactment highlighted the impact of not concentrating behind the wheel, showing the frightening outcomes of misdemeanours that drivers commit everyday: failing to wear a seat belt, using a mobile phone whilst driving, breaking the speed limit and failing to wear a helmet when cycling.

“Arval is committed to road safety and we want to encourage all drivers to take safety seriously when they’re driving. I believe education and awareness is a key factor to help improve road safety. Our crash event is about demonstrating the serious consequences of driver error and to create a lasting impression in people’s minds,” explains Arval’s chief executive, Jean Marc Torre.

The event culminated in the audience learning that the re-enacted crash led to the death of the 19 year old passenger as well as three people being seriously injured and the driver facing a maximum of 14 years imprisonment.

Arval’s event also showed that had the collision happened at 25mph with no driver errors, then the result would have only been minor injuries.

Jools Townsend, head of education at Brake, says: “Companies and communities across the country are joining forces to help make our roads safer and we’re delighted to see Arval included in this. Their event highlights the potentially devastating impact of not taking road safety seriously. It’s a disgrace that every day families are torn apart by the death or injury of a family member on roads. We’re calling on all drivers in Swindon to make a commitment to slow down and look out for people on foot and bicycle. We all have a responsibility while driving to do everything we can to protect each other.”

Arval’s fleet manager, Tracey Young, says: “We engage with our employees through our ‘Drive4Life’ safety programme and by running these activities our plan is to highlight the importance of responsible road use and develop a culture of safe driving among our own staff and the local community.”

Road Safety Week takes place each November to highlight the importance of safe road use to save lives and reduce road-related injuries.

A child is hurt or killed while walking or cycling every 37 minutes on UK roads

Seven out of 10 drivers admit to regularly breaking the 30mph speed limit

Around two thirds of all crashes in which people are killed or seriously injured happen on roads where the speed limit is 40mph or less

For the whole road network which Swindon Council maintains and is responsible for, in the 36 months to the end of August 2007, there were 1,491 crashes in total, resulting in nine deaths and 167 serious injuries

For more information go to RoadSafetyWeek.org

For more information on Arval and the crash re-enactment go to arval.co.uk