36 | OCTOBER 2018
Motoring
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
PARKING AND REVERSING TO
BLAME FOR ALMOST ONE IN
TEN SERIOUS VAN ACCIDENTS
• Nine per cent of serious
van accidents in 2016
were caused by parking
and reversing
• More than 1,300 people
are injured by parking
and reversing van acci-
dents each year
• Downtime for repairs
costs on average £550
per day per van
• Volkswagen Commer-
cial Vehicles offers Park
Assist across the van
range
Parking and reversing
account for almost one in
10 serious van accidents, ac-
cording to an investigation
by Volkswagen Commercial
Vehicles.
Figures from the Depart-
ment for Transport* show
there were 1,350 parking
and reversing van accidents
involving light commercial
vehicles weighing up to 3.5
tonnes in 2016 that resulted
in deaths or serious and
slight injuries to drivers,
passengers, pedestrians or
cyclists. Far more parking
and reversing incidents also
occur which do not have a
direct ‘human’ impact – but
which will inevitably affect
DYSON TO BUILD
SITE TO TEST
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Following the recent occupation of
the restored hangars at Hullavington Air-
field, Dyson has outlined the next phase of
the development of the campus.
Together with Sterling Prize winning ar-
chitect Chris Wilkinson, Dyson is already re-
storing and enhancing the airfield, carefully
breathing life back into the historic World
War Two hangars to create state-of-the-art
engineering work spaces.
fleet and business opera-
tions.
As well as causing inju-
ries, these accidents force
vans off the road and into
Van Centres for repairs.
Downtime costs fleets an av-
erage of £550 a day per van
while average UK car repair
bills stand at £1,678**.
Parking cameras and sen-
sors can reduce the chance
or severity of accidents and
Volkswagen Commercial
Vehicles offers these driver
assistance systems across its
range of Caddy, Transporter
and Crafter vans.
Park Assist helps elimi-
nate the risk of accidents by
parking the vehicle auto-
matically. To use the system,
drivers simply press a
button and the vehicle uses
multiple sensors to steer it-
self into the tightest parking
spots. All drivers have to
do is operate the pedals to
execute the manoeuvre.
Front and rear parking
sensors can be added as
part of Volkswagen Com-
mercial Vehicles’ Business
Pack, while a rear-view cam-
era, Trailer Assist and side
protection monitoring are
also available as options.
Sarah Cox, Head of Mar-
keting for Volkswagen Com-
mercial Vehicles, said: “The
figures show how problem-
atic parking and reversing
can be for commercial
vehicle drivers, especially
for those who spend a lot
of time negotiating tight
spaces.
“Our parking safety tech-
nology is offered across the
range to allow fleet manag-
ers and owners to select the
van with the best features to
suit their individual oper-
ating requirements. It’s all
part of our Working With
You promise to provide
a vehicle and total sup-
port package for every UK
fleet.”
For more details on
Volkswagen Commercial
Vehicles’ award-winning
range of products and
services, or to find your
nearest Van Centre,
please visit www.
volkswagen-vans.co.uk
To date, Dyson has invested £84m into
its new technology centre with the resto-
ration of the first two 1938 hangars. 400
members of Dyson automotive team have
now moved into the advanced automotive
space and a further three buildings are
on course for delivery over the coming
months, providing an additional 15,000m2
of testing space.
Hullavington Phase Two: