Measures
Vehicle
To disturb the competitive position between the EU countries as little as possible, many vehicle safety measures, including those concerning driving and resting hours, are taken by the European Union. EU regulations, for example, oblige heavier types of delivery vans to be equipped with speed limiters, just as is the case for lorries.
The European car manufacturers, united in the ACEA, have collectively agreed not to install bull bars on vans. The braking distance of lorries has been considerably shortened by better tyres. The use of on-board computers, which record driving behaviour and other vehicle data combined with feedback to the driver, can reduce the number of crashes and damage by 20%.
Other measures at the vehicle level are obligatory open side underrun protection for lorries and blind spot facilities such as the front-view mirror that has been compulsory for all new lorries since January 2007. Unfortunately, the blind spot facilities that became compulsory in 2003 only led to a temporary decrease in the number of casualties. The decrease is mainly attributed to the widespread publicity about the blind spot problem during this period. This caused both lorry drivers and cyclists to be more alert. A SWOV accident analysis (Schoon, 2006) showed that cyclists mainly collide with the front right-hand side of the lorry, a point of impact which is not covered by the compulsory blind spot facility of 2003. The front-view mirror which was introduced in 2007 does cover this point of impact.
Intelligent in-vehicle systems are promising for the future. Examples are apparatus that guards of lorry drivers' task capability, rollover warning systems, intelligent speed limiters, and facilities for detecting fellow road users.
Infrastructure
Infrastructural measures can contribute to improving commercial transport road safety. Possibilities are special target group-focussed traffic rules such as speed limits and overtaking prohibitions, and 'channelling' commercial traffic. Bus lanes or other special lanes can be designated for heavy traffic.
From a road safety point of view, heavy traffic i.e. lorry combinations with a trailer or semi-trailer, is not suitable for urban areas. In SWOV's long-term vision, only lighter lorries, adapted for city traffic, are allowed to use the secondary road network. The heavy vehicles should only use the main road network which consists of a network of through roads. Industrial areas and terminals are directly connected to this main road network
Education
The driver training also calls for attention within commercial transport. For driving a van, a car driving licence is sufficient. Young novice drivers, who are economically interesting for haulage companies, have a higher crash rate than older, experienced drivers. In 2005 the European Commission decided, however, not to introduce a separate driving licence for young van drivers.
Traffic education can play a further role in making other road users, the potential victims, aware of the inherent dangers of heavy vehicles. During the last few years the transport sector has paid more attention to vulnerable road users by, for example, providing information at primary schools.
Finally, much can be achieved with the help of a company's safety culture. This is the culture within an organization that manifests itself in the extent to which it controls dangers and risks. Various programmes for companies have already been developed. Examples are: the safety scan which was developed by the government, the damage monitor which was developed by Dutch Employers Organisation on Transport and Logistics (TLN), and the damage prevention plans which were drawn up by insurance companies. Among other things, the programmes cover the following subjects: a job candidate's damage history, driver training and driving exam, talks with drivers after each damage incident, and assigning a particular car to a driver more often. Other possible topics for the programme are the tachograph limiter and using a speed monitor in vans. Like the on-board computer, safety culture has a positive score in cost-benefit analyses.
For more details: Fact sheet Lorries and vans (pdf)