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Construction supplies firm SIG plc has recorded a significant decrease in road accidents since launching a group-wide road-risk policy three years ago.

SIG has seen a 23-per-cent drop in road accidents since 2009, which equates to a 41-per-cent reduction in the average montly cost of accidents over the same period. The improvement is attributed to the organisation’s road safety and efficiency strategy.

As part of this strategy, the company held its second annual ‘UK commercial driver of the year competition’ in June. The event was held at vehicle engineering firm Mira Ltd’s testing facility in Nuneaton. Drivers from across the group were selected to compete in a series of sophisticated driving challenges under the supervision of Mira’s driving trainers.

Drivers competed in four categories: up to 3.5 tonnes; 3.5-7.5 tonnes; ‘over 7.5 tonnes’ and Mofett. The winner of the ‘over 7.5 tonne’ category, Noel Green, was chosen as the overall winner by the judges and named SIG UK’s commercial driver of the year. He was presented with a 32gb iPad as his prize.

SIG UK logistics director Scot Gerry said: “As a distribution company with a sizeable fleet of commercial vehicles, establishing and maintaining the highest standards of road safety is top of our list of priorities. To see such a marked decrease in incidents over recent years is a great result for us, but there is always more to be done.

“The driver of the year event is designed to not only translate the ethos of the road-risk policy into something tangible, practical and enjoyable, but to remind our drivers that we appreciate their ongoing commitment to safety. It was as much a success this year as in its inaugural year, and we hope to continue it for many years to come.”