Driving is a dangerous activity, therefore employers should plan road journeys with drivers to ensure they are completed, taking the safest possible route. 

Road traffic collisions are a significant cause of accidental injury and financial cost to businesses. Therefore, road safety processes should strive to reduce collisions by making changes to attitudes and behaviour towards the risks associated with driving. Education and enforcement measures and a positive attitude towards these aspects can significantly reduce collisions. 
 
This applies to all members of the team not just HGV drivers, but also office staff who use either company vehicles, or their own vehicles to travel between meetings for work purposes. 
 
It is fair to ask employees to justify the need for any trip they take and that the benefits outweigh the use of public transport. Also, these drivers must demonstrate competency, training and confirm they’ve received the advice and instructions that are fit for purpose. 
 
Since the pandemic, remote communications have become much more popular and many organisations plan to implement this as part of their strategy for the future. However some journeys are still necessary and will be increasingly so. Therefore adequate planning must be taken into consideration, hazards alerted and distractions minimised. 
 
If employees need to travel long distance for an early start, it is recommended to provide overnight accommodation, this may not always be possible for domestic reasons. 

Night shift workers: 

hift workers are particularly vulnerable, particularly early in the morning after working through the night. In some cases it might be safer to provide alternative transport. 
 
It goes without saying that weather conditions should be monitored and journeys rescheduled to avoid driving in adverse conditions. 

Speed: 

Inappropriate speed accounts for one-third of road traffic accident fatalities. 
 
Factors that may encourage a driver to speed include; work-related stress, payment by delivery and lack of training. 
 
Employers must make drivers aware of the dangers of driving at speed. It’s not only dangerous to employees and other road users, it is also creates expense caused by wear and tear, increased fuel consumption and increased insurance premiums, etc. 
 
There are benefits to slowing down, for the environment, reduced carbon emissions, reduced fuel costs and longer lasting tyres. 

Grey Fleet 

Your grey fleet included employees using their own vehicles for work purposes. From experience we know that the same levels of risk management do not always apply to employee’s own vehicles and some fail to manage the safety of these drivers. 
 
Drivers of own vehicles should receive the same company policy, training, checks, risk assessments and journey planning as anyone using company vehicles. This includes; a clean driving licence, appropriate insurance cover and inductions. 

Reporting: 

 
Monitoring and review measures should be put place to help control risk and prevent accidents and incidents from happening in the future. Effective investigations require a methodical, structured approach to information gathering, collation and analysis. 
 
Road safety performance should be monitored and feedback given to the organisation in order to provide a basis for continuous improvement. 
 
Reliable data will enable you to assess the scale of crashes and other unplanned events involving their vehicles on the road, as well as trends over time. 
 
If high road safety standards become an established part of the culture, both safety and financial benefits will be apparent. It just requires excellent communication, vision and team commitment. 
 
To speak to one of our commercial insurance brokers, please call us on 01482 247 477 or email [email protected]
 
At your service, at your side – commercial insurance with a personal touch. 
 
Share this post:
Our site uses cookies. For more information, see our cookie policy. Accept cookies and close
Reject cookies Manage settings