The Automotive Blog

aide automotive are pleased to offer a special purchase price for our excellent brake tester BrakeCheck.

Sales of BrakeCheck have grown since 2002 to a massive 8000 plus testers sold, making BrakeCheck the number ONE decelerometer in the UK.

With many bus & coach companies from small to national operators purchasing BrakeCheck to complete an inspection sheet brake test, aide automotive are pleased to offer a special deal for a BrakeCheck when purchased with a printer.

So for June 09 only you can buy a BrakeCheck for just £274.00 (list price (£349.00) when purchased in conjuction with a printer at a list price of £145.00.

To take up on this great offer phone 0115 8456471 and quote promotional code 6BC09.

All prices exclude carriage & VAT.

The UKmotorist.com website has an interesting article on braking systems & stopping distances.

The report highlights that Every year 14,500 – 16,000 large goods vehicles are involved in UK crashes.

Further advice and recommendations are reviewed in the report, to read more click here.

aide automotive advises to check brakes regularly, BrakeCheck is the ideal tester for commercial vehicles inspection sheet brake test.

aide automotive prides itself on providing exceptional service to all of its customers whether you’re buying a Brake Tester or an Anti-Siphoning Device it doesn’t matter what the product is you can be sure the customer service is second to none. 

With over 50% of it’s customer base returning to purchase again, aide automotive implements an after sales service to ensure that you’re happy with the product. Follow this link to see some recent customer testimonials   

aide automotive

The April issue of Commercial Vehicle Workshop features aide automotive in an article explaining the new Health and Safety (offences) Act. The article talks about the new law and how the maximum penalty has increased to £20,000 from £5,000 and an imprisonment of up to 6 months. 

This new act emphasises the need for businesses to demonstrate that they have health and safety procedures in place. Such as regular tyre pressure monitoring and brake tests. aide automotive has three products that can assist . BrakeCheck is an inspection sheet tester, designed for testing and reporting on brake efficency. For tyre pressure monitoring PressurePro and Air Alert are the answer.

Since tougher penalties have been introduced when the Heath and Safety Offences Act 2008 was introduced with minimum fines being raised from £5,000 to £20,000 and sentences starting at 6 months imprisonment, companies should seriously consider testing their brakes and monitoring the tyres of their vehicles on a regular basis. By demonstrating that a business has undertaken regular checks should alleviate any blame in the event of an accident taking place. However Fleet News believe there is still a lack of understanding of the new laws and the Corporate Manslaughter Act.

Daily walkround check or first use inspection

The check should consist of a walkround look over the whole vehicle or combination. The check should cover the external condition, ensuring in particular that the lights, tyres, wheel fixings, bodywork, trailer coupling, load and ancillary equipment are serviceable. Assistance may be required at some time during the inspection, for example to see that lights are working. A check of wheel nuts must be included as part of a driver’s inspection routine, if wheel trims are fitted, they will have to be removed in order to allow access. Loose wheel nuts feature regularly in the issue of prohibitions (PG9s) and are an obvious and potentially fatal road safety hazard.

Preventative Maintenance Inspections (PMI)

You must also ensure that vehicles are subject to preventative maintenance inspections (PMIs) in line with the time basis specified in your maintenance contract. Your PMI regime must include brake testing. Advice from the Vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA) states that reliable brake testing will require access to either a decelerometer or (preferably) a brake roller tester, the latter being available for public use at all goods vehicle testing stations subject to a nominal axle fee.
Operators who do not implement a full maintenance regime, but rely instead on annual test presentations as their main inspection indicator, will be reported to the Traffic Commissioner for non-compliance with an important undertaking attached to their licence. A poor annual test pass rate is indicative of an inadequate forward planning maintenance system.

Link to Transport Friends for further info: CLICK HERE

Quarry Management Magazine (April 2009)  features the tougher penalties issues raised by aide automotive. Find out more at Quarry Management or for more information on products that help businesses overcome issues such as faulty tyres or brakes visit aide automotive.

VOSA have stated that new powers will come into effect later this year, enabling VOSA examiners and the police to issue on the spot penalties for drivers who are breaking the rules!

Fixed penalties and possible points on driver’s licenses will be issued for defects such as faulty tyres and brakes. This emphasises the need for companies to invest in items such as Brake Testers and Tyre Pressure Monitors which will identify any defects rather than leaving discovering these problems to chance.  These products reduce risks by avoiding costly repairs and saving lives!

The death of a lorry driver, set alight when a truck overloaded with molten steel slag tipped over, was a “disaster waiting to happen”, a judge has said.

Carl Parsons’ employer, Short Brothers Plant Ltd, admitted breaking health and safety laws and was fined £100,000. Mr Parsons was engulfed in flames when the truck tipped over and the 800C slag ignited diesel spilling from the tank.  The 55-year-old father-of-two from Pontprennau, Cardiff, died two days after the accident in April 2002.

Cardiff Crown Court heard Short Brothers had not done proper health and safety checks on its vehicles at its site at the former Allied Steel and Wire (ASW) works on Rover Way, where Mr Parsons was working. The truck had been modified to carry the scorching hot slag. But the extra weight affected the brakes, which were not tested regularly, the court heard.

Sentencing, Judge Gerald Price QC said the accident could have been avoided as Mr Parson’s death happened “following the defendant’s failure to ensure his safety”.

Prosecutor Bryan Thomas described how part of the truck’s rigging was badly maintained and had seized. He said the brakes were capable of working, but to a reduced effect and the chain on the petrol cap had been broken and not replaced.

“The brakes failed as he drove up a slope to release the waste metal. But the truck rolled back and tipped over igniting the truck’s diesel fuel which had escaped through the leaking cap. .

HSE principal inspector Steve Scott said: “This is a most tragic case, and must serve as a warning to all companies engaged in potentially hazardous activities of the need for thorough and robust health and safety measures to protect their employees.”

Faulty brakes are a common cause of accidents not just in the UK.  Regular brake testing can help prevent such incidents as;

Sierra Leone
HGV accident in Freetown
At least 4 people died and many others were injured following a lorry collision early on Thursday in east Freetown. Mechanical failure saw an advancing lorry fail to brake, and then collide with a stationary lorry, laden with coal and timber, awaiting fuel. Neither lorry was displaying lights and most of the dead and injured were travelling on the back of one of the lorries. 10th October 2008

Luxembourg
HGV customs checks find shortcomings

In the last week HGV technical inspections at the Mertert customs check point in eastern Luxembourg have revealed 21 vehicles with 34 mechanical failings, primarily brakes, steering and suspension. The deficiencies of 3 German lorries saw them immediately banned and towed back to Germany. One lorry with 54 tonnes was 37% over its legal capacity, another notable finding was the number of drivers failing to adhere to mandatory rest periods. 29th October 2008.

USA

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported

That in 2004, 416,000 large trucks were involved in traffic crashes in the U.S., that a total of 5,190 people died (12% of all the traffic fatalities reported in 2004) and an additional 116,000 were injured in those crashes. One out of eight traffic fatalities in 2004 resulted from a collision involving a large truck. In a widely cited study it was reported that brake defects were common and were found in 56% of the tractor-trailers involved in crashes. In the more recent Large Truck Crash Causation Study sponsored by DOT, it was concluded that 29.4% of all large truck crashes involved brake failure, brakes out of adjustment, or other brake related issues.