The UK Freight Transport Association (FTA) produced this series of ‘thought-provoking’ videos to highlight the importance of safety and compliance in van operations.
‘One Fateful Day’ tells the story of a male van driver, distracted by using his mobile phone as he talks to his office. He is also subsequently found to have been taking drugs and to be driving a defective vehicle – all of which have ‘catastrophic consequences’ for the driver, operations manager and company owner.
The story about a fictional gas fitting company, ‘Paradise Gas Heating’, illustrates some of the typical failings seen among van operators.
The five films show the police explaining the circumstances of the crash, then interviewing the driver, his manager and the company MD, before concluding with a local news report detailing the court case and sentencing.
The scenario is being recreated at a series of ‘Van Excellence’ operational briefings being held across the UK during 2017 to raise awareness of the issues of driver distraction and compliance.
The FTA’s Van Excellence scheme provide a baseline code of practice for operators to ensure they are meeting safety standards, and an opportunity for FTA members to share good practice.
All of the films can be viewed on the FTA’s YouTube channel, while a longer ‘standalone’ version with a voiceover explaining the whole story, can be downloaded free of charge via the Van Excellence website. The FTA is encouraging its members to share the film as widely as possible to spread van safety messages.
Van Excellence Video 1: One Fateful Day – Introduction and causes of crash
Van Excellence Video 2: One Fateful Day – Driver Interview
Van Excellence Video 3: One Fateful Day – Operations Manager Interview