The eSafety Challenge focuses on innovative vehicle safety technologies and the potential for lives to be saved on the roads through their increased deployment. At the event Arval was recognised for its commitment to introducing safer technologies into fleet vehicles as part of its wide-ranging road safety programme, which has already seen the company win a number of leading industry awards in the UK.

Arval made Electronic Stability Control (ESC) a standard safety feature on all new company cars in July 2008 and continues to promote this approach to customers as best practice. Its fleet policy also makes reversing sensors and Antilock Braking Systems (ABS) compulsory.

Tracey Scarr, Arval's fleet and road safety manager, who received the award, said: ‘We are delighted to be the first fleet management company to win an eSafety prize. Developments in vehicle technology significantly help to reduce deaths on our roads and we support eSafety in its campaign to increase deployment of these safety-related technologies.

‘Around 40% of fatal road accidents are as a result of skidding and studies show that ESC can dramatically reduce this. Obviously there is no substitute for careful driving but this is a valuable safety feature that will help reduce the road risk of our drivers.’