Fleet Driver Training: Crash Aftermath Demonstrates Why We Do It

Fleet driver training is just one of the services we offer here at the HGV Training Centre. We offer it to corporate clients looking to provide ongoing, remedial training to their entire team of drivers. Why is such training necessary? Because human beings are forgetful. A recent crash, and its aftermath, near Duxford, provides a perfect illustration.

A news report and video published by the Telegraph explains that the accident on the M11 motorway occurred late last week and involved an HGV and a car towing a trailer. The car and trailer overturned and struck the HGV, causing one of the lorry’s tyres to blow. The resulting accident brought traffic to an immediate halt. But that wasn’t the end of it.

The Telegraph’s video shows a number of motorists planning to enter the motorway via a slip road change their minds upon seeing the traffic backup. Their solution was to reverse up the slip road to get back on the adjacent roundabout. One van driver was so bold as to pull a three-point turn in the face of oncoming traffic.

The good news in all of this is that none of the reckless drivers who made poor decisions on the slip road caused another accident. But they could have, which is why ongoing driver training is so critical to safety.

Training to Be Safe

The idea behind continuously providing driver training is to make sure professional drivers always have operational safety, proficiency and best practices at the forefront of their minds. Professional drivers, particularly HGV and PCV drivers, have an added measure of responsibility to safety due to the size and weight of the vehicles they drive. They cannot afford to be careless or reckless in any way.

Video from the Duxford incident does not appear to show any HGV or PCV drivers attempting to reverse up the slip road. We are thankful for that. Here at the HGV Training Centre, such reckless driving is something we address in our fleet driver training programmes. We help drivers understand how dangerous certain manoeuvres are to themselves and other drivers on the road, warning them to be extra careful to avoid even the slightest risk.

Custom-Designed Training for You

As an approved provider of Driver CPC training, the HGV Training Centre has the ability to custom-design fleet driver training for your company. Our training not only accommodates the unique aspects of your business but it also makes it possible for your drivers to meet the CPC requirement to obtain 35 hours of accumulated training.

The events at Duxford clearly demonstrate that people forget basic principles of common sense and safety over time. While one may get away with such lapses of judgement in a car, things are different in a large commercial vehicle. The best way to maintain safety among your drivers is to establish and maintain a regular schedule of fleet driver training. We would be honoured to be part of your programme.

Sources:

Telegraph – https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/01/reckless-drivers-reverse-into-oncoming-traffic-on-motorway/