Why should you invest in an Occupational Road Risk programme?
General Figures
An information sheet produced by BRAKE, a national road safety charity, includes the following statistics:
- 3,508 people killed on Britain’s roads in 2003 - that means every day 10 people are killed.
- A further 33,707 were seriously injured - injuries that change lives forever.
- We all have a one in 200 chance of dying on the road.
- Half the people who die on roads are in cars.
- Over one third of all road traffic accidents, about 1,000 deaths a year, involve someone who is at work at the time.
Legal Responsibilities
Health and Safety legislation applies to those driving vehicles on business use. As an employer, you have a duty to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable the health, safety and welfare at work of all your employees. Although the driver is ultimately responsible for how a vehicle is driven on the road, you can have a significant influence on what the driver does. For example, unrealistic delivery schedules, inadequate training and failure to properly maintain vehicles all increase the risk of road accidents.
Legislation also requires an employer to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the health and safety of his employees whilst they are at work, and the risks to other persons who may be affected by the employer’s activities. You should also ensure that these risk assessments are reviewed periodically.
Economic Benefits
Vehicle repair costs and insurance claims are nearly always just the tip of the iceberg in respect of the total costs incurred from poor work related road safety.
An effective Occupational Road Risk programme could provide the following benefits:
- Reduced number of days lost due to injury
- Reduced stress and higher morale
- Fewer vehicles off of the road for repair
- Reduced running costs through better driving standards, such as fuel and wear and tear costs
- Less lost time due to the rescheduling of work
- Less chance of employees becoming banned from driving
Programme elements
On-line Risk Assessment
This 40-minute (average) road safety risk assessment enables companies to identify 'high risk' drivers who are more likely to be involved in an accident. The product identifies risk levels through two separate methods:
- Driver profiling
- Competency based assessment
E-Learning (One More Second)
“One More Second” is a highly interactive online training programme designed to help clients ensure that all their drivers have baseline knowledge of defensive driving best practice, knowledge and techniques.
Practical Driver Training
In-vehicle driver training is recognised as the single most effective way to reduce driver related incidents. Qualified, expert trainers aim to foster an interactive learning environment, which encourages clients to identify areas of strong and weak driving performance. Courses can be delivered to any location in the UK and run for either a half or full day.
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