Introduction

The Safe and Fuel Efficient Drivers (SAFED) for LCV's (light commercial vehicles) Training Course has been developed and implemented in connection with Government departments. SAFED has it's origins in the LGV sector with a training programme set up in 2002 to look at safe and fuel efficient driving for lorry drivers. The results of this programme saw some 6400 drivers trained and proved that driver training in the SAFED principals benefited the driver and company with a 10% fuel saving and a 37 % reduction in gear use, as well as meeting some of the health and safety requirements of running a fleet of vehicles. It is a fact that 66% of the country's company vehicles are involved in some form of road traffic accident and driving a company vehicle is recognized as one of the most dangerous activities an employee can undertake. It is also a fact that a driver has a 1:200 chance of being killed on the road in a lifetime of driving and the odds for a van driver are half as much again, 1:145. So, with so much potential for accidents and incidents there is a need for driver training to reduce the risk of injury and accident damage. Fuel efficiency is fast becoming high on the agenda of a lot of companies and as such the SAFED training course will look at developing the drivers' awareness of fuel efficient driving techniques, without jeopardizing delivery timings and 'doing the job'. Over the last ten years, van drivers have traveled approximately 62.5 billion kilometres burning up to 5.5 billion litres of fuel. All this fuel consumption releases some 16.8 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. Following a pilot scheme run throughout September and October 2005, there was significant fuel reduction shown (approx 10 %) and 65 % reduction in gear use. Both of these figures will go along way to reduce the effects on the environment.  It is estimated that there are over 2 million registered vans on our roads of which only approximately 10,000 receive any form of development training each year. The SAFED LCV training programme will be looking to train about 3500 drivers directly in the first year. The main emphasis of the training will be aimed at preventing and reducing accidents resulting from the type of roads generally used by van drivers. Primarily van drivers tend to make more localized deliveries, leaving the longer distances to be covered by LGV's. This results in a higher risk for the van driver as they tend to be in and around town where up to 75% of all accidents occur.