Since then we have followed our road map and continue to achieve milestones which make us very proud. In the midst of this recession, we have expanded organically and created several high skilled jobs. Our anti-clocking mileage database is by far the largest in the country. We have purchased and integrated new information sets to extend our data and improve our Car Check and VRM products. Our R&D team continue to design and release world class products that are gaining interest internationally. There is no doubt we will continue to grow and find new ways to help our customers.

We want to thank all of you who have sent us testimonials – proof that our work is having a positive impact – and have helped us get to this point. We would also like to thank all our trade customers, you are the true heart of the motoring industry.

Promotion

To celebrate our success we are offering all our public customers a 30% discount on Cartell Two Star and Three Star Car Checks. This means that a Cartell Three Star Check which retails at 35 Euro can now be purchased for 24.50 using the voucher – a saving of over 10 Euro! To avail of this fantastic birthday discount just enter Cartell6 into the promotions step when performing a car history check.

Agus go raibh maith agaibh go léir!

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Whether you drive for work in your own vehicle or your employers vehicle it is your employers responsibility to ensure you know what to do should your vehicle breakdown, catch fire etc. There should be procedures and policies in place so that you know what to do to ensure you are safe at all times.  Incidents occur because of poor management or human error. There are three elements where the employer is responsible;

Vehicle + Driver + Journey

The vehicle must be fit for purpose, serviced regularly with maintenance schedule and policies in place. The driver should be competent, mature attitude towards driving with correct driving licence for vehicle they are driving. The journey should have realistic schedules and times allowing enough time for journey to made with the potential for adverse weather conditions.

Human behaviour such a smoking, eating or grooming (applying lipstick or shaving) whilst driving can cause distraction. External causes are considered scenery or getting directions. Mental or physical fatigue, alcohol and drugs & medication. A driver driving inappropriately for weather conditions has potential for incidents that could otherwise be avoided.

Managing DFW saves lives & money. Under the Safety, Health & Welfare Act of 2005 a vehicle is defined as a workplace. DFW activities require the same protection as employees in an office.  Incidents cause a loss in productivity, reputation and profit.

According to Michael Brosnan, Research Manager for the RSA on the world league table 1959-2009 the trend is the same the world over an increase in fatalities coincided with an increase in vehicles followed by a fatality decrease. RSA Strategy 2007 – 2012 was established to improve road safety in Ireland. Ireland is now the seventh safest country in the EU. We have fallen from sixth place last year. Every 54 persons per million are killed on Irish roads and for each death a monetary cost of €2.8 million.

Very often drivers suffer with optimistic bias – they don’t realise a risk and they think they are invincible. Speeding to make up time is a speed fallacy, even if you make up the time be speeding you will be 5 minutes earlier to sit in traffic. Ireland is bottom of the league table for speed enforcement.

The faster the speed the messier, the severity and frequency of any given incident.   Any level of impairment affects driving and the 11 skills required to drive.  At 0.1 level 10 of those skill are affected with the exception of one, blinking.  The numbers say that one third of all accidents are alcohol related.  Drugs whether illicit, over the counter of prescribed may have an affect on the drivers ability to drive safely.  Unnecessary distractions such as the mobile phone even if it is hands free affects the ability to drive safely and reduces it by third.  The key message is pullover if you have to make or take a call.  Only 90% of all drivers wear seatbelts nowadays a great improvement over the years but the remaining 10% have still to be educated of the dangers of not wearing a belt.

According to Deirdre Sinnott HSA – Senior Inspector, the employer needs to control managing DFW. Managing the risk is a top down approach as the company has a duty of care and this extends to the employees working on or near a road and not just the vehicle. Safety induction on manual handling, slips, trips and falls is a must. There should be a clear set of rules on DFW and safety should always be on the agenda. There is a wealth of resources and information for employers at their finger tips at www.rsa.ie and www.hsa.ie

Policies and procedures should include a vehicle checklist and associated procedures for collisions and incident recording forms, while DFW checklist will include risk assessment. A vehicle management procedure will cover fit for purpose, preventative maintenance, routine checks and incident reporting system.  Managing specific risks must cover being a safe driver (which is the weakest link) and competence.  Driver management should include the authorisation to drive particular vehicles.  Formalised inductions and regular eyesight checks for drivers and in addition a supervisor should be appointed to manage drivers.

Any journey should be tracked and the locations of each driver and their vehicle should be recorded. What should be taken into consideration these days is if journeys are actually necessary at all? With car sharing/pooling an option and the advancement of technology and web conferencing physical meetings may not be necessary.

In 2002 Penalty Points introduced then in 2006 Garda Checkpoints came along. On 16/06/2010 there were 96 fatalities from the start of the year, twenty of those related to DFW. In 1985 there were 914,758 vehicles on our roads this figure has obviously increased in the last 15 years. At a collision scene the order of processes is to preserve life and then conduct an investigation. If your company is involved in an incident related to DFW, the company’s reputation may be at risk if the right procedures and policies are not in place. Road Traffic Acts 1961-2006 expects that any vehicle defect should be known to the owner.  The owner should know exactly who was driving what vehicle and when.

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While not exactly a household name – yet – Tesla is an American company which builds electric cars. It employs over two hundred people and has sold over one thousand Roadsters world wide. The Roadster is Tesla’s first production car which boasts a range of 244 miles on a single charge and a supercar level, 3.7 second 0-60 mph acceleration time. There is no clutch pedal to contend with. Its peak torque (400N) begins at 0 rpm and stays powerful right up to 14,000 rpm.

According to Jeff Aherne of Cartell.ie “The vehicle, registered in Cork, really is the first of its kind. This car is faster than the new Ford Focus RS 500 and even the Porsche 911 Turbo. This is one of the few cars in our fleet that is registered as having a fuel type of electric and a transmission as electronic. This is a serious car for someone with a green conscience who also demands peak performance”.

Tesla and TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced on the 27^th May that they intend to cooperate on the development of electric vehicles, parts, and production system and engineering support. In fact early reports indicate Tesla are about to produce a Model S five door with a 300 mile range and capable of 0-60 mph of less than 6 seconds.

The Tesla ethos fits in nicely with the Irish Governments aim to make ten per cent of Ireland’s vehicles electric powered by 2020.  The ESB has committed to installing up to 3,500 on street charge points and 30 fast charge points around the country. Dublin will have 500; Cork will have 135 with Limerick and Galway having 45 each. Grants will be made available of up to €5000 combined with a VRT exemption for up to 6000 vehicles. Car Tax is Band A or just over €100. This it is claimed will make the electric car as competitive as a diesel vehicle and indeed the Government maintains that running costs will only be twenty percent of petrol and diesel models. The ESB has committed to putting charging points in customers houses at no cost during the roll out phase.

Last year there were 81 electric vehicles registered in Ireland. These vehicles include converted Peugeot Partners, Verde Vans and electric motor cycles. This year however, the electric fleet is beginning to take the shape of the future with 60 electric vehicles registered already. These include the main stream manufacturers such as Mitsubishi with the I-MIEV (7) and the UGO Cycle (16).

Interestingly Hybrid sales are higher than the total of last year already. There were 625 petrol/electric vehicles sold for the whole of 2009, compared with 729 for 2010. This fleet is comprised of the Honda Civic, Toyota Prius and Lexus h models.

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To celebrate four years of success we are offering all our consumer customers a 30% discount on Cartell Two Star and Three Star Car Checks. This means that a Cartell Three Star Check which retails at 35 Euro can now be purchased for 24.50 using the voucher –  a saving of over 10 Euro! To avail of this fantastic birthday discount just enter Cartell4 into the promotions step when performing a car history check.

Four years of success

Since the  launch 4 years ago we have been very busy.  In its short life time Cartell has exceeded our expectations and the latest achievement to be noted is the National Mileage Register NMR reaching over 3 million mileage records, helping to reduce clocking in Ireland.  Today even though there are several imitators the Cartell Car Check remains the market leader in Ireland.  Cartell continues to work with and forge new relationships with market leading and visionary companies such as the AA, Carzone, AXA, TecDoc, Aviva, Auto Trader, BMW and HPI UK among many others.

Cartell has proved to be more than Ireland’s best history check and its interest in road safety was first demonstrated in 2007 when Cartell highlighted the disturbing issue of dangerously written off vehicles on Irish roads,  later identifying the scam involving written off vehicles from the UK being imported to Ireland.

What next for Cartell?

As our young business continues to grow we will be hiring staff to fill some new positions this summer. However, before this happens we will first have to carry out some building work to increase our slightly overcrowded offices.  (apologies if you hear building noise in the coming weeks!). In addition, Cartell will be making some very important announcements later this year so watch this space.

We are very proud of Cartell’s achievements to date and are looking forward to continuing to add to our milestones.

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