N2 Racing – Automotive Blog – New & Used Car Reviews & Buying Tips

There is new research out which shows just how costly driving in reverse can be. The research examined what driving in reverse gear can do. It was shown that about 409 million pounds of vehicle damage is caused every year by drivers going in reverse. The information is based on a survey of 31,000 claims which were handled between 2010 and June 2011. It showed about 200,000 accidents that were caused by those driving in reverse. This is roughly 500 accidents per day. The average cost for the repairs was 2,123 pounds.

Of course there are some busier shopping days and other days where the roads are busier too. All of this means there can be more accidents on some days than others. A lot of the reverse card accidents occur in parking lots with a lot of congestion. The driver at fault is the one trying to go in reverse whether it is on the narrow side road or colliding with a parked vehicle.

The figures are astounding because they account for about 8 per cent of total accidents in the UK with a vehicle involved. This is eight per cent of the half billion pounds spent on vehicle damage. It is also an issue with the amount of labour it causes for the emergency services given that some of these reverse accidents are so bad the emergency services have to be called out.

So, why does this matter when talking about business fuel cards? It is an indirect relationship. Larger vehicles like vans and HGVs often get blamed for accidents they may not have had any part in. There is also the issue that these larger vehicles are harder to manoeuvre in parking lots, on small side streets, and other areas. They can also account for some of these reverse accidents. For example a moving truck may be on a side street where they have no choice but to back up. Another car comes around the corner driving too fast and runs into the back of the vehicle, thus an accident occurs.

At least with fuel cards your company lowers some of your business costs by saving money on fuel at the pump. It may not be a lot of savings, but you can certainly save a bit. The more money saved in your company the better things are for you.