Van Pools Blog

On August 17, the State of Florida’s Rural Vanpool Program got off to a running start with the launch of four new vantastic VPSI commuter vanpools.

The Employees of St. Johns River Water Management District Headquarters, located in Palatka, Florida, were most happy with their new ten passenger luxury Wagons. Everyone is looking forward to relaxing in luxurious comfort during their commute from Gainesville to Palatka.

A series of Vanpool Safety Sessions were conducted by Andy Bawden, VPSI’s Vanpool Safety Manager, at White Sands Missile Range in El Paso, Texas.
VPSI’s Judith Flood and Alice-Lee Cook coordinated the day-long event with Stacey Hill, Transportation Assistant and Alonzo Moore, the POC at White Sands Missile Range in El Paso, TX.

Each session included vanpool safety video and discussion. “You have to leave your parking area more carefully” Andy said. “Most accidents happen in parking areas because the driver is in a hurry to leave and hasn’t mentally accepted the responsibility of driving. Approach the van looking to see how others are parked and become prepared to drive.”

Employees attend the training session.

Each session was attended by about 30 to 40 vanpool drivers. Many stayed afterward to get more specific answers about their van’s safe handling. Tire pressure was a concern to many and the VPSI representatives inspected a number of vans’ tires and remedied the problem if they discovered the tires were low.

To find out more about Andy’s Vanpool Safety Sessions, check out this Van-Pools.com post.

Of the top five preventable accidents (as measured by frequency or cost) two involve backing up the van, and another is hitting a stationary object with the van. These are not just costly accidents, but also require a lot of man hours to swap a loaner for the van, repair the van and then swap back the van.

To reduce the risk of a parking lot accident – please implement the following steps:

1.    Walk around the van to observe clearances on all sides, above and below
2.    Observe others who will leave the parking area at the same time
3.    Adjust mirrors to reduce blind spots
4.    Buckle up and require everyone to wear their seat belt
5.    Be sure the way is clear by checking all sides of the van again
6.    Announce that you are about to drive and ask your riders to assist by looking out—left, right and rear
7.    Start out slowly and carefully; if backing do so very slowly and very carefully
8.    Proceed through the parking area with care, watching for other vehicles and people

To find out more, please visit http://www.gnrtech.com/lot_safety.php.