Driving light goods vehicles and delivery vans

Light goods vehicles (LGVs) and delivery vans are goods vehicles with a maximum permitted weight below 3.5 tonnes. Accidents statistics show that every year 4,000 LGVs are involved in fatal road accidents in Europe.

LGVs are being increasingly used for endpoint deliveries due to entry restrictions placed on HGVs in urban areas. The share of LGVs in urban traffic is thus increasing. Urban areas typically have dense and complicated traffic. Maneuverability can be restricted, parking facilities can be poor and loading and unloading of the vehicle can be difficult. The result is that great demands are often placed on the LGV driver.

According to UK data, drivers of LGVs are more likely to be involved in fatal and serious collisions than other road user groups, and speeding is often involved. Dutch studies find that red-light running is a major reason for accidents involving delivery vans. Collisions caused by restricted review while reversing are also typical accidents for LGVs.

Studies show that 30 % of those who are killed in collisions involving LGVs are occupants of the LGV. Around 20 % are pedestrians, 8 % riders of motorcycles and 6 % cyclists.

LGVs are more likely than other vehicles to be involved in road accidents with severe consequences. This is due to characteristics of both the vans and the drivers. Many vans are used for business purposes (e.g. service companies, carpenters, industrial contractors, couriers). Reports claim that there is a need for these sorts of businesses to optimize their safety performance to improve the safety attitudes of drivers and potentially reduce road accident involvement. Because van drivers work more remotely than most other workers, it is important to look for ways that managers can influence drivers and help drives them adopt good safety attitudes (Zohar et. al 2013).

The following highlights some of the road safety problems of LGVs (Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water management, 2009):

• LGVs are involved in a relatively high number of serious accidents.
• The number of LGVs has grown dramatically in Europe over the last 10-15 years.
• There is no additional driving training necessary for driving LGVs despite the fact that such vehicles pose a relatively large threat to other road users (larger mass, moveable cargo).
• They are often driven on urban roads where they frequently come into contact with vulnerable road users.
• They are often driven by drivers under time pressure.
• The drivers generally do not own the car they drive.

The drivers are often young with little driving experience.

Specific risk factors for LGVs

Dense (urban) road traffic with lots of other road users increases the risk of crashes involving LGVs. Indeed, in one Australian study light/short-haul transport drivers selected traffic negotiation as their greatest safety challenge. LGV drivers typically drive short distances with frequent stops involving loading and unloading. The urban  environment with dense traffic, limited space and poor parking facilities and poor manoeuvrability often creates a time-pressured working day in which many LGV drivers experience stress and cope by engaging in a number of illegal and potentially dangerous activities such as speeding, illegal parking and running red lights. More LGV drivers than other drivers do not use seatbelts according to the SafetyNet project (ETSC 2013, p21).

Lifting and manual handling of freight is a safety problem for LGV drivers. It can also be a risk factor for back and other injuries. Poor parking and unloading facilities at delivery sites increase the injury risk associated with cargo handling for LGV drivers, for instance by forcing them to unload and carry freight in and across busy roads.

Fatigue is a major cause of road accidents. It has the potential to affect any driver, but is an increasing problem for professional drivers. Fatigue has been identified as an important risk factor for HGV drivers and the EU and its member countries enforce driving and resting time regulations to reduce the problem.

For LGV drivers who often drive in urban areas during the day, the problem with fatigue differs from that of HGV drivers. For LGV drivers the main contributors to fatigue are inadequate sleep, insufficient rest brakes, heavy traffic, driving in early afternoon, poor vehicle design and ventilation. Although different in nature, driver fatigue may occur as often and its consequences be as serious for LGV drivers as it is for HGV drivers. Thus fatigue is a prominent but largely overlooked risk factor for LGV drivers, who are not regulated by the driving and resting time regulations that govern HGV and long-distance passenger transport.

The most important organizational level influence on fatigue appears to be the driver’s schedule, not least because it determines whether the opportunity for sleep is long enough, given at a time of day that is appropriate for recuperative sleep, and routine and predictable.

Special fatigue management programs have been developed that provide tools to cope with fatigue problems.

Time pressure decreases driver performance and vigilance and increases crash risk. High levels of work pressure are predictive of crash involvement. Tight schedules constitute a risk factor because they distract drivers from the driving task and not least because they lead to speeding.

Restricted view is a particular problem for HGV drivers, but also for LGV drivers. In-depth studies reveal that blind spots have contributed to many fatal LGV accidents, which typically occur when the LGV hits pedestrians or cyclists while the driver is turning or reversing.

Effective control measures

• Manage fatigue: In order to cope with fatigue the employer can help by providing an adequate driver’s schedule that ensures that opportunity for sleep is:

a)      long enough, b)      given at a time of day that is appropriate for recuperative sleep, and c)      routine and predictable. The company can intervene at four levels to control those factors associated with fatigue and manage associated fatigue outcomes:

1. Limit the consequences of fatigue on driving performance
2. Prevent fatigued drivers to fall asleep when driving
3. Prevent fatigue developing during driving
4. Prevent a driver entering a vehicle while fatigued.

Employers should prioritise intervention at levels 3. and 4.

Special fatigue management programs have been developed that provide tools to cope with fatigue problems.

• Practice safe cargo handling: It is very important that the driver knows and applies good practice for manual cargo handling. There are many guides and descriptions available of how to this. More specific advice on specific principles and techniques is given by the European Agency for Safety and Health.
• Reduce time pressure: Light goods vehicles are not governed by driving and resting regulations nor equipped with compulsory speed limiters. The deployment of intelligent speed adapters could be a good way to help drivers stick to the speed limits and possibly to mitigate time pressure and work related stress among LGV drivers. Effectiveness relies on manager attitudes, the company safety culture and the pay system.
• Implement safe pay systems: Avoid pay systems based on delivery performance and piecework.
• Promote safe driving style: LGV drivers often break the traffic regulations and put themselves and other road users at risk. Encouraging safer driving style has the potential of improving safety among LGV drivers. Drivers should avoid illegal parking, in particular in cycle and pedestrian areas, and try to avoid reversing. They should wear seatbelts and respect traffic lights, speed limits and general traffic rules.
• Select and maintain safe vehicles: Choose vehicles with systems to assist the driver such as reverse collision warning, side curtain air-bags or cargo barriers.