Skip to main content

UK van drivers drive more carefully in their personal vehicles

A new study by TomTom indicates that more than a third (39 per cent) of UK van drivers admit to driving more carefully when using their personal vehicle. The research, conducted among light commercial vehicle (LCV) drivers, found 67 per cent of those did so to save money on fuel and vehicle wear and tear and 29 per cent because of the absence of working time pressures.
September 13, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
A new study by 1692 TomTom indicates that more than a third (39 per cent) of UK van drivers admit to driving more carefully when using their personal vehicle.

The research, conducted among light commercial vehicle (LCV) drivers, found 67 per cent of those did so to save money on fuel and vehicle wear and tear and 29 per cent because of the absence of working time pressures.

In addition, 59 per cent said they were more likely to speed or take risks in their work vehicles as a result of working time pressures.

The study also found that three-quarters (75 per cent) of respondents admit to speeding in their work vehicles, with 24 per cent doing so regularly.

However, only 20 per cent of respondents said their company provides training to help them drive more safely and efficiently and just 35 per cent claim their employers use technology to monitor driving performance and fuel efficiency.

“A significant proportion of at-work drivers demonstrate clear awareness of the benefits of safe, efficient driving, which is applied in their personal vehicles – but working pressures are adversely affecting performance,” said Thomas Schmidt, TomTom Business Solutions’ Managing Director. “The onus is on employers to take action by encouraging higher standards behind the wheel and minimising the time pressures facing mobile workers.”

“Appropriate fleet management technology can play a major role in this, offering clear management information and helping to raise awareness of responsible driving by providing real-time feedback to drivers. This not only provides transparency on performance standards being measured but can also help companies target driver training where it is most needed,” said Schmidt

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • TomTom's HD Traffic saves drivers up to 30% commute time, according to German study
    March 29, 2012
    According to independent research conducted by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), products powered by TomTom’s HD Traffic reduce average drive times by 13 per cent and up to 30 per cent in congested areas. HD Traffic is the company’s real-time traffic technology and is used in products ranging from portable navigation devices (PNDs), smartphones, automobile infotainment systems, and government traffic management centres. In addition to reduced commute times, the study showed that TomTom outperforms the comp
  • TRL: Cities must do more to help VRUs
    May 9, 2019
    UK cities must learn from the Netherlands and Denmark if active travel and increased safety for vulnerable road users are to co-exist, says TRL’s Marcus Jones Active travel’ refers to modes of transport in which physical effort is required to undertake purposeful journeys - for example, walking or cycling to school, work or the local shops, as well as walking and standing as part of accessing public transport. The benefits of replacing short car journeys with more active forms of transport are obvious. Act
  • Road user charging - replacing the gas tax with a mileage based fee
    January 19, 2012
    Oregon Department of Transportation's James Whitty discusses his state's progress with VMT fee-based charging. Back in 2001, the state of Oregon stole a lead on the rest of the US when it decided to address the need to do something about the gas tax and its decreasing ability to fund highway construction and upkeep. Recognising that a dwindling pot of money could only shrink further as vehicles became more fuelefficient, Oregon's Legislative Assembly passed laws which led to the setting up, by the state's g
  • How can US transportation be ‘re-envisioned’?
    October 17, 2019
    In her address to this year’s ITS America Annual Meeting, congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, chair of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, called for a ‘re-envisioning’ of transportation. Her speech is below – and ITS International asks a number of US experts what they would like to see ‘re-envisioned’…

    I would like to welcome  ITS America to the nation’s capital.