Reported a van driver who was on the phone

I was on the M1 this morning on the way to work when I spotted a van driver with his phone pressed to his ear. The van had the company name and website address on it so I’ve contacted his employer to ask them why they haven’t provided their drivers with hands free kits and given his registration number. Ironically the company website has the slogan “Making Your World a Safer Place”.

So what will the official reply be? And was I right to be a snitch?

And was I right to be a snitch?

Well as you only reported to his company then who cares. He was being an idiot, he is also on their time and responsibility probably so well done, pat on the back and hope he learns his lesson.

“Thank you for letting us know, we take safety very seriously, we’ll investigate, blah blah”. And yes, you were.

If it’s a large company:

Official Reply: ” Appreciate your concern, thanks for bringing it to our attention. dah dah dah”

Actual Actions: None.

If it’s a one man band:

Reply: “Eff off”
Action: None

Were you right: Yes

They won’t give a sausage.

He might get told he’s a bit naughty by the boss.

They will still call you names.

He was probably on the phone to his boss.

Oh and I think if it was reported to at least one place I worked it would be taken very seriously as a significant breach of H&S Policy which could lead to formal warnings.

So what will the official reply be? And was I right to be a snitch?

Who knows? But yes.

Which reminds me. I meant to email Parcelforce about the driver filling in his delivery sheet while driving through central Skipton at school kicking out time yesterday.

My complaint to Alliance Healthcare about their van aggressively tailgating and flashing me (slogan ‘Bringing Healthcare Closer’) got no reply though. And yes, I did check to make sure there wasn’t an elderly lady attached to my rear wheel arch. 🙂

My old company (very safety conscious US chemical co) considered it a disciplinary offence to use a phone non-hands free when driving, and encouraged other employees to snitch on colleagues who did. That would lead to some interesting conversations as they cleared their desks……

Mind, they also considered using stairs without using the handrail to be a warning offence too.

Our local police force run this;

http://www.operationcrackdown.org/%5B/url%5D

I’d be far more likely to report it on there than direct. And I’d encourage everyone to do so where possible – multiple reports about the same company or driver far more likely to get action taken.

A guy on a phone nearly side swiped me on the M1 on Tuesday, as he randomly decided to move into my lane without checking, so yeah, the sooner people get the message that phones are bloody stupid when driving the better as far as I’m concerned.

Mind, they also considered using stairs without using the handrail to be a warning offence too.

What it all comes down to is there is a policy on H&S for a reason, if you don’t follow the basics you’re not welcome. Personally having worked for a UK company that was like that I think it’s a good thing.

But i need both hands on the handlebars when descending stairs!

What it all comes down to is there is a policy on H&S for a reason, if you don’t follow the basics you’re not welcome. Personally having worked for a UK company that was like that I think it’s a good thing.

Exactly, If you can’t follow simple guidance like using a handrail, then the company are right to assume that you may struggle in less safe situations. I recall reading that more than 600 people in England and Wales (there wasn’t figures for us lot up here!) were killed falling down stairs in 2015.
So it’s not for nothing.

I recall doing my Offshore survival, the company had a policy that all drivers in the car park must reverse into a space, as it’s safer than reversing out. Stuck with me, I’d like to see it more widespread if I’m honest.

all drivers in the car park must reverse into a space, as it’s safer than reversing out

Although it’s a pain in the bum if you have anything in the boot and there’s ‘back to back’ parking bays.

But i need both hands on the handlebars when descending stairs!

😀

Those mobility scooters are marvellous aren’t they.

mrs rocket works for a big multinational they have a lot of H&S

3 points of contact when using the stairs, car park spaces angled so you have to reverse in. Obv no hot drinks or trays no jackets on the back of chairs

One employee was killed in a head-on while on company business the internal investigation has been going on since September

3 points of contact when using the stairs

so two hands on the rail when you lift a foot up to go up/down a step?

But i need both hands on the handlebars when descending stairs!

I need both hands on the box I’m carrying when descending stairs.

3 points of contact when using the stairs

Does sliding down the hand-rail count?

3 points of contact – bum and two hands!

3 points of contact is for climbing ladders, not stairs.

Mind, they also considered using stairs without using the handrail to be a warning offence too

I completely agree, any fool who walks down the stairs when they could slide down the banister is clearly a boring fool and should be alerted of that fact.

edit. muffin man beat me too it 😆

I reported a Virgin driver for texting, and got a phone call from someone a few days later. He said that drivers have to attend a compulsory safety training course at their own expense when such things happen. Hopefully that was the truth rather than a fob off.

What it all comes down to is there is a policy on H&S for a reason, if you don’t follow the basics you’re not welcome. Personally having worked for a UK company that was like that I think it’s a good thing.

Exactly, If you can’t follow simple guidance like using a handrail, then the company are right to assume that you may struggle in less safe situations

.[/quote]

Or alternatively, (and honestly, I thought the handrails thing was just in a country as common sense deprived as Australia), it breeds a feeling that if what you’re about to do doesn’t carry a hefty “danger of death” warning then it must be inherently safe. If you’re not clever enough to walk down the stairs without the handrail then maybe you shouldn’t be in the workforce of most places.*

*The houses of parliament being an obvious exception to this

I completely agree, any fool who walks down the stairs when they could slide down the banister is clearly a boring fool and should be alerted of that fact.

I agree.

Any fule knows that the best way to descend stairs is to either jump entire flights and bounce off the walls in the style of Officer Dave Starsky or to eschew the stairway altogether and just jump out of the window and land on your arse on top of a convenient car just like Officer Kenneth Hutchison.

Loaded firearms / leather jacket / cardigan optional.

Obvz the driver was in the wrong that’s quite simple to determine, and one that is an offence.. so yeurp I’ll agree with reporting him, I would have go to the police with the offence, provided you can actually prove it.. or I’ve been told the police log this sort of thing then if they get a few reports they make a visit to the offender.. that could be horlix of course.

As for reporting it to the company.. if it gets past the email spam filter I would be highly impressed.

Mind, they also considered using stairs without using the handrail to be a warning offence too.

Holding the handrail is mandatory where I work and recently a group of managers and cronies tried to crack down on people walking around with their hands in their pockets due to the increased risk from “slips, trips & falls”. 😕

Obv no hot drinks

😯 I literally couldn’t work there. My brain doesn’t function properly without my morning pint of coffee.

(and iced coffee is the devil’s work)

Or alternatively, (and honestly, I thought the handrails thing was just in a country as common sense deprived as Australia), it breeds a feeling that if what you’re about to do doesn’t carry a hefty “danger of death” warning then it must be inherently safe.

It’s been something in every lab and major industrial site I’ve worked on for about 18 years, most of them were in the UK. As shown it’s still an issue and it reduces accidents. It also challenges people like

slowoldman – Member
I need both hands on the box I’m carrying when descending stairs.

As to why he is carrying stuff up and down stairs that needs both hands. As part of a good H&S culture where challenges are welcome and behaviours are looked at it works.

As to why he is carrying stuff up and down stairs that needs both hands.

having worked for 20-odd years for a US company, it’ll be to carry the box they gave you to put your personal effects in when they gave you 20-minutes notice to clear your desk because someone snitched on you for having coffee in an unrestrained mug.

At that point it becomes moot, because 1/ you’ve just been fired, so a warning for carrying a box on the stairs is hardly going to matter; and 2/ because if you should trip and fall you can just land on your idiot of a supervisor who’s escorting you off the premises.

and iced coffee is the devil’s work

<glance at desk>

I must be one of Satan’s little helpers, then 😈

I reported a Van being very poorly driven which, when he came up behind a cyclist, actually got closer to the kerb (a very deliberate ‘punishment pass’) even though there was a completely empty lane next to him (v. quiet dual Carriageway).

Spoke to the company (reasonable sized, couple of offices not a one man band) directly and they were very dismissive and practically laughed it off saying that i was probably making a mistake, that unless there hadn’t been an actual accident then there was nothing they could do etc etc.

The response I got from their MD to the email to the Police with the Dash cam footage I cc’d him in to was somewhat more conciliatory on the other hand…

I occasionally need to drive the work van and if I was reported for driving while using my phone then I’d be in deep trouble (written warning etc) so some companies do take these things seriously.

A guy on a phone nearly side swiped me on the M1 on Tuesday, as he randomly decided to move into my lane without checking, so yeah, the sooner people get the message that phones are bloody stupid when driving the better as far as I’m concerned.

I had a white van speed up, overtake me then deliberately try to sideswipe me after I’d passed him and used sign language to tell him I thought he was a w****r for sitting in the middle lane on the phone when there was no other cars in sight 😯

Got his reg if anybody can think of any payback ideas 😆 No point reporting it as it would have been my word against his.

A well known bike holiday company in Europe has it’s mini bus drivers use handheld mobiles whilst driving up twisty alpine roads all the time. We made a note on our feedback form as it was blinking scary. Given my experience of the rest of the holiday I’m not holding out much hope that they’ve changed. Anyone else had similar experience?

No point reporting it as it would have been my word against his.

that’s where that site I linked to works – they aggregate reports – if there’s multiple reports about same vehicle then action is taken.

I would have done the same myself. In fact I did something very similar last year – an AO delivery driver was parked on zigzags outside my girls’ school (at drop-off time) so I had a word with the driver who told me to ^&*% off. Silly man – I simply took pictures of him, the van and the position on the road and emailed AO (I found the direct email addresses for the CEO and Transport Director online).

I received an almost immediate response (the CEO had young children of his own so it helped that I had his empathy) and was kept informed of their actions.

8)

@nobeerinthefridge (and others) – I think the “no nosey parking” rule is fairly widespread in the oil industry, I have worked for and been subcontracted to Shell and that was their world-wide policy.

Car parks should be laid out so that you drive along, reverse into an angled parking bay then when leaving you simply join the flow of traffic. The main arguments against are that: a) it reduces the number of available spaces therefore reducing parking fees or number of customers. b) people in their massive SUVs or 4x4s with poor all round visibility are crap at reversing.

the-muffin-man – Member

He was probably on the phone to his boss.
+1

One of my old bosses was terrible for calling when you are driving and wanting to go through the minutiae of a sales forecast spreadsheet…

My current organisation took the decision last year to ban all phones while driving on company time. It is an instant final warning, second offence = sacked.

“Making Your World a Safer Place”.