The Automotive Blog

An out-of-control lorry which smashed into an office and killed two women could have caused a “massacre”, a coroner said. Two women died when the 35-tonne truck crashed through the front of an estate agent’s office in High Wycombe on 14 June 2002. Buckinghamshire coroner Richard Hulett said it had been a lottery which of the many people out in the town centre would be hit when the lorry’s brakes failed at the top of a hill. The driver and his employers DE Transport have been summoned before Wycombe magistrates for failing to maintain the brakes and exceeding the weight limit on a vehicle.

The driver’s statement included that he told police the vehicle had had brake problems four to six weeks previously, but these had been fixed by a garage.

Sales Director Matthew Burke states “With BrakeCheck ( a modern day decelerometer) you have a hard copy print out that is time and date stamped to prove brakes are checked and are to the required braking efficiency, reviewing the above article its always easy to speak with hindsight but this is a warning for today’s vehicle operators to do their up most to check and report on BRAKES”.

Poorly educated and trained company car drivers are causing thousands of breakdowns a year because they are failing to carry out basic vehicle maintenance and are not fully briefed on the vehicle they are driving.

Company drivers are putting petrol into diesel cars, which can cost up to £6,000 to repair, and plugging so many electronic gadgets into their cars that their vehicles’ batteries run flat.

Such common mistakes, which according to the RAC mean fleet vehicles are off the road for 11,757 days annually, could be avoided if drivers conducted simple maintenance checks and undertook driver training.

The RAC estimates that over 40,000 fleet breakdown call outs could be avoided this way.
The company’s analysis of fleet vehicle breakdowns revealed that 17 out of the top 20 reasons for breakdowns are beacuse drivers fail to carry out simple actions.

The top call out is for punctures, although this has more to do with health and safety policies than poor driver education, as Debbie Floyd, fleet manager for Bauer, explained.

“The days of a young female sales rep trying to change a flat tyre at the side of the road are over,” she said.

“It is part of our driver health and safety policy that a breakdown service must be called to repair a puncture.”

The most common avoidable call out is for flat batteries.

“Fleet vehicles have become like mobile offices with more and more current-hungry gadgets, such as mobile phones, PCs and navigation systems, and drivers seem to think their cars are bottomless pits of energy,” said Elvin Ravenscroft, tactical development manager for RAC.

“Modern batteries are designed for a high discharge of power when starting the car, but not for a constant, steady power flow as in the case of lights or charging mobile equipment.”

Fleet drivers are continuing to mis-fuel their cars in massive numbers.

Diesel contamination now makes up almost a quarter of the top 20 driver-induced faults.

“If a vehicle is misfuelled, the car should not be unlocked and the key should not be put in the ignition.

“Under no circumstances should the engine be started, since it could result in a repair cost of around £200 to have the fuel tank drained and between £3,000 and £6,000 to repair an engine,” said Mr Ravenscroft.

As well as education regarding their vehicles, fleet managers must continue to ensure their drivers improve their road skills.

RAC data revealed that fleet drivers are twice as likely to be involved in a collision as an average motorist.

“If fleet drivers adhered to road rules, took adequate breaks to avoid tiredness or considered undergoing training to improve driving skills, the number of fleet call outs to a collision could be reduced by as much as 50%,” said Mr Ravenscroft.

In the week when a leaked letter from the Home Office predicted that as the credit crunch bites, the levels of crime in the country could rise, the police in Lincolnshire have revealed that fuel siphoning has risen by 30% in the county in the past three months. The Home Office research said that as the economy takes a downturn, crime is likely to go up.

It points out that in the last recession, violent crime increased by 19%, something that Home Office minister Tony McNulty describes as “blindingly obvious”.

The evidence of how a slow economy can impact on crime figures is all too clear to see in Lincolnshire, where poilce expect fuel siphoning to continue rising as winter approaches. This warning comes after the theft of 250 litres of diesel from a foreign lorry, which was parked up on the A1 at Dry Doddington, near Grantham.

The fuel was stolen from the Volvo tractor unit as the Hungarian driver slept, between 11pm on Friday 22 August and 5am the following morning. A spokesman for Lincolnshire Police claims that fuel siphoning between May and August has risen 30%, compared to the same period in 2007. “There has been more of a problem since the hike in fuel prices and it will be more common in the winter with longer, darker nights. Drivers must avoid isolated lay-bys.”

Other firms in Lincolnshire have fallen victim to fuel siphoning, such as Swineshead-based HS Logistics. Assistant transport manager for the company.

Steve Pickering, states that before installing CCTV systems and fences, the crime was occurring on a daily basis. He says: “It was getting ridiculous.”

Anyone with any information regarding the Grantham fuel theft is asked to call Lincolnshire Police on 01476 402222.

 

To help protect against fuel theft and siphoning please review the TP Anti Syph and FuelKeep @ www.aideautomotive.com

One of the biggest causes of car insurance claims could soon be a thing of the past thanks to a handy new device that prevents drivers from putting unleaded petrol into a diesel car.

It is thought that around 150,000 put unleaded fuel into a diesel car each year, and this leads to a number of car insurance claims, many of which ar turned down and seen as negligence on the part of the driver.  This can then lead to costly repair bills for the car owner.
However, a small innovative piece of kit known as Diesel Guard™ can help prevent these unfortunate mishaps.

Diesel Guard™ is a smart little gadget that will remind you at the pumps that your vehicle runs on diesel fuel. On opening the fuel flap there is an audible warning advising that this vehicle runs on diesel. The device’s volume is such that you cannot ignore it, even on a noisy forecourt! DieselGuard also has a small button to terminate the message once acknowledged.

Diesel Guard™ attaches to the inside of your fuel flap with just a high strength sticky pad.

With the high cost and inconvenience of a diesel engine being filled with petrol, this device will cut out the risk of expensive repair costs and vehicle downtime.

The inspiration came from an unfortunate experience when, on a dark and rainy evening, the innovator grabbed the wrong pump when he went to fill up his car.

It was night and the weather was bad, I couldn’t see much. I wasn’t really thinking about what I was doing and I picked up the wrong pump. I just wasn’t paying attention. I suddenly realised that it must happened to thousands of drivers every day and decided there was a need for some kind of warning device.

In today’s society there is a bigger need than ever for this kind of device. People are so busy, always rushing around. It’s very easy to make a mistake like filling up with the wrong fuel.

If you’re consistently forgetful then a Diesel Guard™ device is well worth the investment.  The stern, audible warning from the device will ensure that you never put the wrong fuel in your car again and save you from both embarrasment on the forecourt and the cost of the repair bill that follows.

For more information on the DieselGuard product, visit the Aide Automotive web site.

Testing batteries of any vehicle is a great start to confirm vehicle efficiency. With increased battery technology testing batteries is now a scientific test. Using a multi meter is an unreliable test, and also with testing comes proving.

Our testers can provide a print out for your customer or records. Midtronics Battery Testers can be used on any type of vehicle, from cars, motorcycles to light or heavy commercials.

Critical parts like tyres and brakes can always be replaced before they fail, but what about a battery? Using a Midtronics battery tester, it will be possible to identify the efficiency of a battery at service or replacement level and the customer can be quickly advised of the current status of the battery and its future functionality. All data can be detailed on an optional   infra red printer or downloaded to a PC.

A Midtronics battery tester is the most up to date and cost effective and easy to use tester. The unique technology makes testing of discharged batteries possible, and once tested, a hard copy print out is available for the customer.

Midtronics test method allows battery testing and diagnostic charging to be safer, fast, simple and able to be performed in front of the customer. Each battery test takes just 7 seconds.
Midtronics Battery Testers will provide an increased level of service, increase     battery revenue and efficient battery management for the workshop. Each tester is supplied with 2 years warranty.

New Company Vehicle Law came into force in January 09

Not breaking news, but something we felt important enough to blog about to bring it to your attention again.

Individuals responsible for commercial vehicles are now subject to tougher penalties for illegal tyres and faulty brakes. The Health and Safety Offences Act 2008 came into force last month making it easier to enforce the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Penalties have been raised from a maximum of £5,000 to £20,000.

Increased emphasis on corporate responsibility stresses the need for commercial vehicle owners to carefully manage the safety checks of their vehicles. Particular attention should be paid to regularly checking tyre pressures and brakes.

aide automotive have two products that help manage these two health and safety issues;

Air Alert a proactive solution to warn when tyre pressures are low, as opposed to relying on checking tyres on a regular basis.

BrakeCheck a portable battery-powered device that can be used to test and report on vehicle brake efficiency. BrakeCheck is VOSA & MOT approved.

For more information on either product you can visit the links above, or visit our web site at www.aideautomotive.com