Transport for London endorses MPA Driver’s App
TfL says new App a ‘great asset for professional drivers’ and a ‘positive contribution to improving road safety’
THE recently launched MPA Driver’s App has been endorsed by Transport for London (TfL), who said: ‘We believe it is great asset for professional drivers and will make a really positive contribution to improving road safety, notably for pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users.’
In recent years, industry drivers have accounted for a significant number of collisions between construction HGVs and vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. Against this backdrop, the Mineral Products Association (MPA) and its members have taken a leading role in action to reduce collisions between HGVs and pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users (VRUs).
Building on this work, the MPA has strongly supported the implementation of Construction Logistics and Community Safety (CLOCS) throughout the mineral products industry and supply chain. In keeping with the latest VRU safety information and the CLOCS standard, the free MPA Driver’s App allows drivers to stay up to date with all the latest updates regarding their own safety, health and well-being, as well as the safety of those they share the road with.
Features include information on common vehicle standards and best practice across the industry, a facility to track CPD and log personal qualifications, the ability to register near misses, as well as latest news and social media updates. The MPA says its own research indicated that smartphones were the main source of information for 80% of drivers, and that it needed to respond to this reality.
The App, developed with funding from TfL, complements the MPA Driver’s Handbook launched in 2016 and now exceeding a distribution of 60,000 copies.
Nigel Jackson, chief executive of the MPA, said: ‘As a founder member of the CLOCS initiative, the MPA is keen to help equip both its members and the wider industry with tools that will help professional industry drivers play their part in improving road and workplace safety, particularly for vulnerable road users. The MPA Driver’s App has been developed to deliver a one-stop shop for professional drivers and we would like to see this App being used across the industry.’
