Stamp out 'white van man', says Ford
Chief of Transits highlights tailgating problem
Naughty, naughty! Chief of Ford's commercial vehicle division Gary Whittam is launching a campaign "to stamp out the scourge of white van man from the country’s roads", referring to the problem of vans tailgating at high speeds.
Whittam is personally taking charge of the new campaign, which he believes is vital both for the van industry and the general public -– although whether companies will stop buying Ford vans just because too many of their drivers don't feel responsible for the consequences is questionable.
Whittam will be talking to fleets about how to tackle the issue. He said: "The problem of white van man -- or should I say person -- needs addressing and it is a matter I take very seriously. This problem has largely been tackled and eradicated in the heavy truck sector and now my team will be looking at how we can improve the image of Britain’s van drivers and give them a more professional outlook."
Whittam said there was no magic solution to the problem and he was looking at a long-term campaign, but he added: "We have to do something about it. We still see too many people in vans driving six feet behind the vehicle in front, with the contents of half a wardrobe and a half-eaten Big Mac on the dashboard."
Pressed on what exactly the Ford team would be doing in practical terms, Whittam said: "The first thing to do is start talking about the problem. By making people aware that it exists, maybe we can get the ball rolling."
Secondly, Ford will be extending its training programme for minibus drivers to encourage a better standard of driving, while thirdly, Whittam will be talking to some of the country’s fleet operators in a bid to set up some kind of incentive scheme for drivers to act more responsibly.
He is aware that many of the worst drivers are behind the wheels of company-owned vehicles and that they drive badly because they do not feel responsible as the vehicles do not belong to them.
But Whittam said, "Safer driving not only means using less fuel and saving money on replacement parts for the fleet operator, but it means other road users will be safer too. If we can encourage company drivers with an incentive scheme, then everyone will benefit.
"I do not have a magic wand I can wave to eradicate the problem, but I feel I must at least make a stand and try and help."
Anniversary of the Ford Transit
Meanwhile, the Transit celebrates its 40th birthday. To commemorate, Ford is launching three special editions. First launched in 1965, there were originally 78 Transit derivatives – now there are over 500.
For 2005, Ford is a launching "special value" models:
- Transit Leader, a lead-in model complete with CD/radio, the Transit SilverBlue, with an added executive comfort pack
- Transit Hallmark, with air and executive packs, the Transit Connect LXPlus with a comfort/ convenience pack, side loading door and metallic paint
- Transit Connect Hallmark, complete with air conditioning.
The new models will be available from late January and prices will be announced nearer launch.
I travel on Motorways a lot and dispite not hanging around and ( hey - My beemer only knows lane 3 !), constantly come across this problem.
To me, this just reinforces the current non sensical approach to policing our roads. A camera will catch me, doing maybe 85 - 90 on a deserted M'way, but because this is all the government is interested in, there are no longer sufficient traffic police around to see the idiots in vans or cars that drive 6ft from your bumber - this is dangerous at any speed !
If the government is concerned about this, they only have themselves to blame.
to Ford.
I'd say this applies to co. cars as well, as they often have no or a small excess, and there's no insurance penalty from having an accident and losing your NCB.
And it's absolutely right - if it's your car, P&J or not, you do tend to be rather reluctant to risk bumping it...but if it's someone else's, it becomes someone else's problem...
havoc said:
And it's absolutely right - if it's your car, P&J or not, you do tend to be rather reluctant to risk bumping it...but if it's someone else's, it becomes someone else's problem...
True on the whole, but there are some of us who give a sh!t. My Connect was in for a service yesterday; the squaddies at Ford looked at me as though I was mad when I asked (well, virtually TOLD) them NOT to wash it. All they'd do is bang it through a car wash and it'd come out looking like it had been Brillo padded (if that's a word
) I wash it by hand... yes, even though it's a company van.
The only time I sit 6 feet from anyone's rear bumper is for the split-second before I overtake them, usually because I'm arsed-off with them driving like grandad - or they've finally got their BMW/Merc/Audi out of lane 3...
I lust after the power of a Mercedes Sprinter. Those are the vans that, to me, seem to be the biggest culprits for bumper-humping.
Incidentally, spare a thought for us van drivers: some of us aren't really twats - and not all vans are just used for freight, we have to be somewhere else with a job to do, and you lot are slowing us down...
Must go, got a van to wash...
Ian
www.sirc.org/publik/white_van_man.html
Particularly take note of the view of emergency services of WVM.
Me - i'm an accountant. Everyone assumes I'm boring and wear sleeveless jumpers. Not drive a hardcore car around track and go to heavy-metal concerts, dance clubs, and to watch comedians like Mark Howard!!! I suspect most people get pigeonholed wrongly at some point...the trick is to spot it and either live with it or deflect it.
Skinny - I suspect it's because the Tranny is synonymous with white-van man, and Ford saw an opportunity for publicity.
havoc said:
Me - i'm an accountant. Everyone assumes I'm boring and wear sleeveless jumpers. Not drive a hardcore car around track and go to heavy-metal concerts, dance clubs, and to watch comedians like Mark Howard!!! I suspect most people get pigeonholed wrongly at some point...the trick is to spot it and either live with it or deflect it.
yeah yeah you say all this but either you put on a brave face to deal with these trackdays, concerts and clubs, and long to be at home buried in the safety of your folders stuffed with company accounts or you're just lying to sound good.
*watches you toy nervously with a loose bit of wool on your cardigan*
*goes back to hiding behind his computer, the geek that he is*
thats a bit harsh ford picking on me... iv never done anything to them The sprinter in particular is frighteningly hard to stop when loaded, despite the ABS and ESP system that Mercedes claim is so brilliant.
To me, tailgaiting in one of these vehicles is lunacy. All it takes is one mistake, and you will kill somebody.
If Ford want to help get rid of this idiotic behaviour, then more power to them!
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