Safe Driving
July 2007
Not sure what is a sensible driving policy for your business?
The Department for Transport (DFT) has set up a new website which
contains practical guidance to help businesses comply with their
legal obligations. A business must have a safety policy document
if it employs five or more employees. The DFT sets out recommendations
for the contents of the policy and reports some statistics, some
of which are disturbing:
- About a quarter of all vehicle miles travelled annually
on Britain’s roads are for work purposes (excluding commuting).
- There are an estimated three million company cars on
the roads and roughly one in three will be involved in an accident
each year.
- Company drivers who drive more than 80% of their annual
mileage on work related journeys have more than 50% more injury
accidents than similar drivers who do no work related mileage.
- The annual risk of dying in a road accident while driving
for business reasons is significantly greater than the risk of
dying as a result of all other workplace accidents.
- Every week around 200 road deaths and serious injuries
involve someone at work.
- About 300 people are killed each
year as a result of drivers falling asleep at the wheel. About
four in ten tiredness-related crashes involve someone driving
a commercial vehicle.
- Work-related road accidents are the biggest cause of
work-related accidental death. Between 800 and 1000 people are
killed annually in work-related road traffic accidents compared
to approximately 250 fatalities due to accidents notified annually
under the Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences
Regulations.
- Business drivers have collision rates that are 30 to
40% higher than those of private drivers.
Internet link: DFT website