March 30, 2009
An invention designed to prevent thieves stealing diesel from trucks has been praised for its road safety features in a report to the Prime Minister. TruckProtect’s InstantFit NECK-IT! was created by Richard Fowler four years ago as an improvement on existing anti-siphon devices which were then available. From this a new company was started and huge worldwide success followed. Although not designed as a road safety item, one feature of the innovative product has huge benefits for preventing accidents: unlike floating ball anti-siphon devices, InstantFit Neck-It! allows very high speed fuel filling without splashback and spillage and, additionally, forms a baffle to minimise diesel fuel spills should a fuel cap be left off a tank. Even small fuel spills leave treacherous slippery patches on roads. It has so impressed the road safety campaign group KillSpills that InstantFit NECK-IT has been highlighted in the group’s annual campaign report to Prime Minister Gordon Brown. When diesel spills on roads, it does not evaporate, and leaves lethal slippery patches on roads, as well as seeping into the road surface and damaging it, which over time creates potholes. Motorcyclists in particular are at risk when they encounter diesel spills on bends, and as a group they are 19 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured as a result of an oil or diesel spill than any other type of road user. In 2007, 132 people were killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads in crashes caused by oil or diesel spills, at an estimated total cost to society of £38 million. KillSpills has been campaigning since 2003 when it was set up to reduce the number of these accidents by a group of concerned motorcyclists. It is backed by the Institute of Advanced Motorists and the British Motorcycle Federation. In their report, they have told the Prime Minister that TruckProtect’s anti-siphon devices ability to prevent diesel spills has been a “real bonus for operators.” The report continues: “But it is no accident. TruckProtect consulted at great length with truck dealers, operators and government safety departments such as VOSA before design commenced, to make sure the units were fully fit for purpose. “The result of taking this approach is that TruckProtect units now make a contribution to killing spills; one that increases with every new unit fitted.” Russell Fowler, Chief Executive of TruckProtect, said: “We were determined to make sure the InstantFit NECK-IT did the job it was supposed to do, leaving no weak spots for thieves to exploit, and that it was the very best for our customers in every respect. “We are delighted that it is helping to reduce road accidents, and honoured by the recognition of this in KillSpills’ annual report.” As well as helping to prevent spills on the road, InstantFit NECK-IT prevents spills on forecourts, as it can, unlike some other anti-fuel theft devices, cope with fast-filling speeds of up to 120 litres a minute without splashbacks. The device can be securely fixed without any drilling or gluing, which can damage the tank, and its unique protect grub screw means that rivets are not used – in hot weather when diesel expands in the tank, fuel can seep through rivets.
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