Fleet software firm Fleetcheck has launched an awareness campaign for drivers of daily rental vehicles focusing on van speed limits.
Fleetcheck created the initiative in response to a number of cases among its clients where drivers picked up points on their driving licences because they did not know different limits applied to cars and sub-3.5 tonne vans on some roads.
The first step in the campaign is a sticker designed to be placed on the dashboards of hire vans by short term rental companies showing van speed limits. Fleetcheck said these are available free by e-mailing its website.
Speed limits for sub-3.5 tonne vans are 50mph on single carriageways and 60mph on dual carriageways, making them 10 mph less than a car. However, the 30mph limit in built-up areas and 70mph limit on motorways is the same for both LCVs and cars.
Peter Golding, managing director at FleetCheck, said: “Drivers who only occasionally use hire vans – both for company and private use – are ending up with points on their licence simply because no-one has told them that they need to drive more slowly on some roads.
“The obvious solution is to make this information consistently available to them when they hire the vehicle and the dashboard sticker is a simple and effective way of doing this.
“Any hire companies who would like a supply to use on their vehicles should get in touch.”
He said FleetCheck planned to follow the sticker with e-mail drops, blogs and other material over the course of the summer.
“We see education campaigns such as this as part of our responsibility as a well-known part of the fleet sector. Where we encounter awareness issues like van speed limits, we will always try and provide solutions not just to our customers but across the industry.”
