Abstract
Key Words:
Delivery vans, accidents, vehicle safety, crash tests
Abstract
The accident risk presented by delivery vans – in Germany so-called “Transporters” – has been hitting the headlines in German media for some years now. Some public reports indicate that the number of accidents involving delivery vans has risen rapidly, that the brakes on such vehicles are weak, that their cargo is poorly secured and the speeds driven by delivery van drivers are too high. A lot of car drivers see the delivery van drivers as their enemy of the road – this image is not only based on the experiences of the drivers, but also influenced by lots of negative reporting in newspapers and on television. The accident risk presented by delivery vans has also become part of a political and legal discussion. The most frequent call heard is for a speed limit restricting delivery vans to speeds, for example, of 120 km/h. In 1999, DEKRA Accident Research started a pilot study to examine the accident outcome of delivery vans in Germany. This was conducted to provide a broader base of well-founded knowledge for the highly charged discussions that were taking place at that time. Since then, the studies have been continued by carrying out sampling more in-depth-studies and statistical analyses of the accidents and running tests to asses the primary and secondary safety performance of these vehicles. Studies and results gleaned from other authorities were also included into the process of generating knowledge about the incidence and the risk of delivery vans in road accidents and some appropriate counter measures. This contribution gives an update of the knowledge and findings for 2004/2005. It shows what information is given by official statistics and what is based on DEKRA’s in-depth-accident research, on crash tests and on tests to assess the primary safety of delivery vans. This is the basis to give and/or judge proposals for improving the situation