Arval has signed up as one of the sponsors of a new campaign being led by Van Excellence and CALM, the Campaign Against Living Miserably, to raise awareness of mental health issues among drivers.
Launched earlier this month, the initiative is intended to address the stigma around mental health and raise awareness of the resources available for men, many working as drivers, who could be uncertain of where to obtain help and advice.
With one in five van drivers describing their current mental health as poor or very poor, the scheme will see vehicle hire and leasing companies – including Arval – offer support packs and information to all customers.
Arval will make the packs available to its customers and they can be included in the vehicles on delivery.
Simon Cook, LCV leader at Arval, added that with more attention given to openly talking about mental health issues, it is inevitable that the subject is finding its way into more progressive fleet risk management policies.
He explained: “Fleet drivers, especially van drivers, can find themselves in high pressure situations where they are working on their own all day. It is, in many ways, almost an incubator scenario for creating or exacerbating mental health problems.
“This is a duty of care issue for fleets for several reasons, with drivers suffering from mental health issues more likely to be involved in accidents, with plenty of evidence that it affects everything from attention spans to reaction times.”
Cook said that there are several options available to fleets to support the mental health of their drivers, especially those spending a lot of time on the road.
He added: “We are very pleased to be involved in this campaign. It is, in our opinion, a very timely development, and we will be helping to distribute the packs to fleets and their drivers.”
