If you are reading this document you are either a member of staff driving as part of your work or have probably been coerced into driving for one or more of the LUU groups.

Your efforts are and will be greatly appreciated by both the LUU and your group.

It cannot be stressed how much responsibility lies with this role. You often hear it stated that the most dangerous part of any activity is the driving. With that in mind please read carefully through the rest of this document, it has been put together to raise your awareness to some policies specific to LUU and to encourage you to be a safer driver. The information contained herein is important and you should be familiar with all aspects of the LUU driver policy and motoring legislation generally. If there is any aspect of your driving role that you are unsure of then please contact me on;

0113 3801 412

g.banks@leeds.ac.uk

Top of Page

2. Drivers

Driving LUU provided vehicles

There are several classes of vehicle that may be booked through the LUU for LUU business related activities. The licence requirements and the requirements of LUU vary for each on. Please refer to the chart below to see which vehicles you are eligible to drive;

Requirement	Car	Van	People Carrier up to 8 passengers	Minibus up to 16 passengers
over 18 years of age	√	√	√
Hold a full clean U.K. manual car driving licence	√	√	√
Signed the LUU driver commitment statement	√	√	√	√
I have previous experience of driving this type of vehicle	√	√	√	√
Successfully completed an LUU driving assessment*		√	√	√
Over 21 years of age				√
Have held a full clean U.K. Driving Licence for a minimum of two years or have a D1 category licence				√

Driver assessment and training

Those people wishing to drive an LUU vehicle other than a car need fulfil the requirements above and have successfully completed an LUU driver assessment.

The sessions are run by an external assessor and have both theory (2½ hrs) and practical (50 mins) elements.

All sessions can be booked directly through the ARC reception.

Once you have been successfully assessed you will be added to the approved drivers list.

Driver responsibilities

The moment a driver picks up a vehicle they are completely responsible for the vehicle its passengers and contents, this applies until another driver takes over or the vehicle is returned.

See the Appendices for;

Insurance
Maintenance
Safe driver’s hours
Speed limits
Weight limits and loading
Small bus permit

Top of Page

Alcohol, Medicines, illicit drugs, mobile phones, tiredness

All of these will impair the performance of the driver so…..

Alcohol must not be consumed before or during your duties as a driver. Bear in mind how long it takes for alcohol to leave your system – try to refrain from consuming alcohol in the hours leading up to a driving session, save it until afterwards you will have earned it.

Medicines If you are taking any form of medication ensure that you read the label – if it says it shouldn’t be taken when driving or operating machinery it means just that, preferably don’t drive or don’t take the medicine.

Illicit Drugs Well they’re illicit so you shouldn’t be taking them in the first place – if you do, have consideration for your passengers and anyone else that you may come into contact with – don’t drive.

Mobile Phones There is absolutely no reason, whatsoever, for a driver of a vehicle that can have up to 14 passengers using a mobile phone – get someone else to look after it or if it’s vital, stop in a safe place – do one or the other.

Tiredness There are guidelines for the maximum hours that you should drive set out below. However other factors can influence tiredness; such as driving a long distance after a full day of arduous activity or after a night of poor sleep. Ensure you look after yourself, better still make your group look after you and ensure you are in a fit state to drive them safely.

Environmentally Efficient Driving
Motor transport is not good for the environment. It accounts for almost a quarter of the UK's carbon dioxide emissions. Measures can easily be taken to reduce a car's harmful emissions and save money into the bargain.
Using a fuel-efficient vehicle helps however it is equally important that the vehicle is well maintained and driven thoughtfully.
Here are a few things for you to consider that could reduce harmful emissions and save money.

Unnecessary weight in the vehicle - reduce the weight in the vehicle by removing items that are not needed for the journey. Losing unnecessary weight will improve fuel economy.

Consider fuel weight - fuel weighs approximately 1Kg per litre, so try only to put the fuel you need in the vehicle, filling the tank is like carrying an extra adult in the vehicle which reduces fuel economy.

Vehicle maintenance - The fuel economy is reduced if a vehicle is not well maintained i.e. oil changes. Ensure regular servicing is carried out and if you experience any problems with a vehicle advice the hire company at your earliest convenience.

Tyre pressure - under-inflated tyres can increase fuel consumption by up to three per cent and more importantly can adversely affect the handling of the vehicle. Details of the correct pressure can be found on the drivers door pillar or in the owner's manual.

3. Journey planning

There is nothing worse than being late rushing through an unfamiliar place with poor directions. What’s more there’s not much of an excuse for it with the availability of free route planning on line. Plan your journey before you set off.

Here are some useful journey planning websites;

Top of Page

4. Second driver

Depending on the duration of the journey you are undertaking, you may need a second driver. Even if you don’t need a second driver it would be extremely useful for you to have a driver assistant. This person can take responsibility for a number of tasks allowing the driver to concentrate on – well – driving!

It is well worth clarifying what you want your driver assistant to do here are some suggestions;

Navigator

Passenger control – head counting
Ambience technician (heater/fan/music)

5. Passenger care and supervision

As the driver of the vehicle you have control over how safe and comfortable the journey will be for your passengers and whether they arrive with their nerves in tatters if at all or well rested. Minibuses or any vehicles that are fully loaded behave much differently than a small car with one or two people in. This applies particularly when negotiating bends and braking – so here are two specific places where you can have a big impact on the journey – look ahead and react in good time with respect to other road users and road conditions. If you are braking into a bend you are going too fast! You are also reducing the traction that you have considerably.

The vehicle your are driving has been fitted with some useful safety features, one of these is seat belts, you may be interested to know that if you involved in an RTA where you are moving at any speed, then it’s most likely that the vehicle will roll over! Anyone not wearing a seat belt is likely to perish in the accident due to them being ejected from the vehicle and then have it roll over them – make sure everyone wears a seat belt!

Pick up’s and drop off’s

This is a particularly hazardous time for your passengers. Try when at all possible to park so that your passengers can exit the vehicle straight onto a footpath, if this is not possible ensure that passengers are fully aware of any hazards, this would be a good time to use a driver assistant – do not put anyone in a position of risk.

6. CRB checks

Where drivers will be responsible for anyone under 18 years of age a CRB check must be carried out prior to the trip or activity.

Top of Page

7. Emergency procedures

In the event of an incident there are several courses of action you should take depending on the severity of the incident. For medical emergencies please refer to the Incident procedures in the driver pack in your vehicle.

For mechanical and associated emergencies you need to contact the company responsible for hiring the vehicle, details are on the inside of the windscreen in the vehicle. Please ensure you are familiar with the correct procedure/s.

Emergency equipment

All minibuses have a first aid kit and fire extinguisher. The more important question is in the event of a fire or accident do you know how to use them? As part of the risk assessment for the trip, first aiders and fire wardens should have been considered in proportion to the activity and number of participants.

Fire hazards

The procedure for dealing with a fire forms part of the diver assessment.

In the event of a fire remember that the passengers should be evacuated as a priority and moved as far away from the vehicle as possible before any attempt is made to extinguish the fire. Under bonnet fires should never be tackled, but left for the fire brigade.

8. Journeys abroad

Any trips abroad will be governed by the laws of that country so each trip of this nature should be discussed directly with the Student Activity Safety Co-ordinator. As a guide here are some factors that will influence the trip.

The Small Bus Permit will not be valid
With the exception of Eire a tachograph must be fitted to the bus and regulatory driver hours adhered to
Foreign vehicle insurance will be an addition requirement – green card
Additional emergency equipment will be required such as warning triangle, spare bulbs

Top of Page

9. Appendices

Fines/penalties/damage

Please bear in mind that as the driver of the vehicle you are responsible for any charges/penalties incurred for the duration of your hire.

In the event of damage to a vehicle, please follow the procedure set out below. For damages incurred through your actions, again as the driver you are responsible for any costs. An invoice will be raised, bear in mind the current motor insurance excess level is £1000.

Insurance

Details of the vehicle insurance policy are held in finance, if you have any queries please direct them to the Student Activity Safety Coordinator.

If you are involved in an accident; regardless of who is at fault do not admit liability or apologise to the other driver/s.

Ensure the safety of passengers
Contact emergency services if appropriate
Contact LUU on 0113 3801 412 between 09:00 – 17:00 Mon - Fri or 0113 43 35494 outside of these times or at a weekend or holiday.
Write down the names and addresses of all drivers (including Vehicle registrations) and the names and addresses of any witnesses.
Take photos or make a sketch of the accident site if you can to help with insurance claims and/or legal proceedings.
You are obliged by law to give any person affected by the accident your details.

At your earliest opportunity you will need to complete a claim form. These are available from the Student Activity Safety Coordinator.

Top of Page

Maintenance checks daily

Each time that you use a vehicle you should carry out a series of maintenance checks. If you find any faults on the vehicle ensure they are acted upon before you use the vehicle. A list of the checks can be found in the driver pack in your vehicle. If you are using a vehicle for a series of days then ensure the checks are carried out prior to commencing driving each day.

Safe driver’s hours

There are currently no laws enforcing maximum driving hours for minibus drivers working in the voluntary sector. There are laws regulating drivers of passenger carrying vehicles in the commercial sector and these have been adopted by ROSPA as guidelines to good practise.

The information I’ve included here has been taken from the ROSPA Minibus Code, full details of which can be viewed at; www.rospa.com

First we need to define working – for a driver this includes;

Driving
Loading/unloading
Assisting passengers boarding/disembarking from vehicle
Preparing vehicle/cleaning/maintenance
Any other duties directly related to the journey – such as picking up the keys and paperwork

A break is time spent not doing any of the above and is a minimum of 15 minutes.

Recommended Driver hours for drivers

	Driving only	Driving & other work
Max. length of working day*	13 hours	10 hours
Of which, spent driving	9 hours	4 hours
Maximum time driving without a break from work	2 hours or sooner if tired
Minimum length of break	15 mins**
Daily rest period	11 hours
Weekly rest period	45 hours

*Taking account of other work undertaken before starting a journey.

**After 4½ hours of driving, the accumulated length of breaks from driving should be at least 45 minutes.

Top of Page

Speed limits

Here are the UK maximum speed limits for a minibus. Bear in mind that if a lower speed limit is in place then that will apply.

	Motorways	Dual carriageways	Other roads
Mini-bus	70	60	50
Mini-bus towing trailer	60	60	50

Weight limits and loading

When using the vehicle it is vital that you do not overload it. Refer to the manufacturers recommendations for the maximum authorised mass (gross vehicle weight), this must never be exceeded.

Luggage must all be stowed safely, do not block aisles or exists.

Roof racks where fitted must not be overloaded and must be loaded safely. For reference the maximum permissible roof load including the roof rack for a Ford Transit is 150KG

Small bus permit

These apply to minibus style vehicles up to 16 passengers. The LUU is a holder of a small bus permit as granted under Section 19 of the Transport Act 1985.

The permits MUST be displayed in each minibus.

If you are using one of the long term hire buses then the permit will already be displayed in the vehicle. If you are picking up a minibus from ‘Leeds Commercial’ then a permit will be included in the driver pack. Ensure the permit is displayed at all times; failure to do this may lead to you as a driver being prosecuted.