Van drivers can see themselves on the roads for several hours in a day when they are on duty. Measures have been advised for them to ensure that their concentration is at peak conditions throughout their journeys, with the aim of limiting the likelihood of being involved in a road accident and thus lower the need of making a claim on their van insurance policy.

Those who drive vehicles and are concerned with the amount of driving hours they take part in may find relief in the news that the Government has come up with a new consultation.

Presently, there is legislation in place that is intended to ensure workers get regular breaks, but the country's leaders have revealed they are re-evaluating this.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has launched a consultation into it, to ensure the hours that are set for professional drivers are legal, promote good working conditions, and above all, are kept safe for both the driver and other road users.

Last month, Paul Clark, the transport minister launched a widespread review on the domestic drivers' hours rules for van, bus and other professional drivers to determine "how the rules are working on the ground".

It is not yet known if the findings will have an impact on legislation, but it is suggested that they may be used to inform future policy decisions. The consultation will be open until 13 October this year.

According to the DfT, drivers’ hours rules set daily driving and duty limits, as well as break and rest requirements, which improve safety, encourage good working conditions and even ensure fair competition between operators.

Proper breaks lower van accident rates

It's not a stretch to think that drivers who take proper breaks and don't exceed their set hours are safer drivers than those who do not. Research suggests that driver fatigue may be responsible for up to 20 per cent of accidents on 'monotonous' roads, such as motorways.

The UK domestic drivers' hours rules cover drivers of vans weighing 3.5 tonnes or less in the country tradesmen; refuse collectors and breakdown patrols. These rules do not apply to HGVs or buses on longer routes which are covered by EU drivers' hours regulations.

Paul Clark said: "The domestic drivers' hours rules affect thousands of workers across the UK so it is vital that they are effective in keeping drivers, passengers and other road users safe."

Mr Clark added: "This is a wide ranging consultation and we want to hear from as many drivers, operators and fleet managers as possible so that we can understand how the rules are working on the ground."

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, drivers most at risk of being in a fatigue-related road accident include young male drivers, truck drivers, and shift workers.

However the complex issue of tiredness in an accident makes exact figures of sleep-related accidents harder to estimate. Although, findings from Loughborough University's Sleep Research Centre suggest that there are several thousand casualties each year in accidents caused by motorists falling asleep at the wheel, many of which will be at-work drivers.

This is exactly why any cases of companies or organisations not setting drivers' hours limits and ensuring their drivers stick to them, or of individual drivers failing to keep to the rules, need to be highlighted and where appropriate investigated.

Help from the Highway Code

The Highway Code has stated that following certain measures can help to minimise the risk of being involved in an accident.

Making sure you are fit to drive and not going on journeys longer than an hour if you feel tired. Also avoiding long journeys between midnight and 6am, when natural alertness can be at its lowest can help to limit the risk of an accident.

Planning journeys to include sufficient breaks of at least 15 minutes for every two hours of driving is also recommended.

The most effective ways to counter sleepiness are to take a short nap - up to 15 minutes - or drink, for example, two cups of strong coffee along with letting fresh air into the van; exercise or turning up the radio may help for a short time, but are not as effective.

Although certain tips may not always be practical for full-time van drivers, it is essential to put them into practice, especially the planning ahead to accommodate regular breaks and countering tiredness instead of simply ignoring it.