Author: Simon Pavey

East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust will benefit from a fleet of 12 new Fiat Ducato Ambulances.

The trust will employ the new vehicles across Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Waveney in the coming months.

A major boost to the trust

This influx of new ambulances is the first stage in the delivery of more than 200 vehicles to bolster the trust’s reach during the months ahead.

A further 43 will be delivered in the remainder of the year and an extra 171 will come into service by April 2020.

Paul Henry, deputy director of operations support, said: “We are delighted that these fantastic new vehicles are now being rolled out.

“We listened carefully to the views of our staff to ensure the vehicle will meet their needs, keep them comfortable during a shift and allow them to deliver even better care.”

Each new vehicle comes complete with automatic self-loading stretchers as standard, while the models will be more eco-friendly and economically than the trust’s existing fleet.

Overall, it is hoped the trust will save upwards of £3.3 million per year once all the new vehicles come into service.

Jenny Smith, general manager for Tele-Gence, commented: “It’s great to see these new models replacing the trust’s older fleet, which will bring much-needed cost savings and new facilities to help serve the public.”

Your business can benefit from affordable telematics with no hidden start-up fees or long-term commitments. Find out how at www.tele-gence.com

Almost half (43 per cent) of all UK drivers are unaware of the fact that having a telematics device fitted in your vehicle could help to reduce your insurance premiums.

This is the conclusion of a new YouGov survey, which showed levels of awareness around telematics could be improved.

Insurers reward safer drivers

Dr Colin Smithers, CEO at Redtail Telematics, which commissioned the research, commented: “With the average cost of an annual car insurance policy rising, the appeal of telematics policies is broadening as a way for all drivers to try and access lower premiums.”

By tracking the behaviour of drivers, telematics devices help insurers to better understand the level of risk associated with each individual.

Factors including the time of day when people drive, their regular routes, how they respond to situations on the road and their ability to drive within speed limits all come into play when determining risk.

As a result, those who demonstrate safer driving habits can be categorised as lower risk overall. They therefore qualify for lower premiums moving forward.

Jenny Smith, general manager for Tele-Gence, commented: “Awareness of telematics is growing all of the time, but with two-fifths of drivers still not understanding its impact, there’s more to be done to help drivers reap the benefits of this technology.”

Your business can benefit from affordable telematics with no hidden start-up fees or long-term commitments. Find out how at www.tele-gence.com

Connected vehicles ‘to help enhance road safety’ – Ford has unveiled new analysis that highlights the potential insights into traffic makeup that could help to make roads safer for all in the years ahead.

Using a combination of connected vehicle technology, traffic signal data and road safety incident data, Ford has been able to build up a picture of road traffic danger zones.

Connected vehicles highlight traffic dangers

The insights are based on a two-year study, which was carried out in partnership with Traffic Watch UK, and could now help to provide clear indications for how local authorities and planners could create safer junctions in future.

Amanda Wickens, managing director at Traffic Watch UK, commented: “It is probably no coincidence that where Ford’s analysis identified harsh braking and steering, we also found evidence of traffic light offences and obscured road signs.

“Without a doubt, there is a real opportunity for intelligent connected technology and vehicle data analysis to help reduce the occurrence of road incidents in the future.”

Relatively minor improvements to the way junctions are set out, signage is positioned or how drivers respond to dangers in the road could all have a positive cumulative impact on road safety.

Bringing together new data insights from connected vehicles and combining this with other sources of transport data will be crucial to safeguarding lives in the years to come.

Jenny Smith, general manager for Tele-Gence, commented: “Connected vehicle technology helps to shed light on danger zones across the road network. Greater uptake of these systems in the future could provide a welcome boost to safety for all.”

Your business can benefit from affordable telematics with no hidden start-up fees or long-term commitments. Find out how at www.tele-gence.com