Are you a good driver? It’s a loaded question. Most people consider themselves to be good, safe drivers, although many take risks behind the wheel. If you have a workforce on the road, this could be a major issue, and there are many factors to consider when it comes to safety.
Apparently, on average, most people consider themselves a 6+ out of 10 on the road – i.e. above average. And company car drivers are above average…for accidents. A third of road deaths involve someone driving for work.
Why are company drivers at such a high risk of accidents?
As with all drivers, technology has changed the driving experience dramatically– gone are the days when the only dashboard distraction was the speedometer and fuel gauge. Mobile phones and sat-navs have added a new distraction and risk.
But one of the main factors putting company drivers at risk is that, regardless of how they feel, employees will often still go to work when they’re not up to it. They might be tired, emotionally distracted or unwell but feel the pressure to get behind the wheel. Someone’s lifestyle can contribute to the way they drive when they get into a vehicle.
“No one ever trains you to deal with emotional pressures – and they are the factors on top of your quality of driving. Drivers are put under so much pressure by the company” says DriveTech’s head of marketing, Colin Paterson. “Risk is not just in the vehicle but also in the job – take home delivery companies, for example. Drivers come up against trip hazards, pets and even abuse. You have to do a dynamic risk assessment looking at risk when arriving at the location – it is about going beyond the control, manoeuvring and parking of the vehicle. You can’t say to people they can’t drive because of these contributory factors – but you can give them the tools to cope and manage it. Once you’ve acknowledged a problem, then you can manage it.”
Education
DriveTech consider three ‘E’s when trying to get people to just drive more safely: engagement, enforcement, and education. Colin says “In terms of grey fleet, often companies will do what needs to be done to remain compliant, they’ll make annual assessments, and that’s it. But we look at fleet safety more strategically. Driver training can save companies a lot of money, for example by reducing sick days from accidents and a lot of more hidden costs.”
The safety culture workshop
Following an introduction to the DriveTech methodology, SHP were treated to an abridged version of the firm’s training workshop – in order to truly understand how the company put its philosophy into practice. Presented by Keith Freeman, the DriveTech academy regional quality manager, it began with raising a series of probing questions. Freeman said: “The first question is ‘why should businesses care about road safety?’ The answer – it’s a legal, financial, and moral issue.” He went on: “The more mileage people who drive for work do, the better they think they are”. And on these types of courses the first thought that goes through their head might be ‘why do I need to be here’. This leads into a ‘setting the scene’ task – where questions and answers lead to discovery. People will ask how likely it is that they will die in an accident. At the same time, the reality is that most people will know someone who has died or been injured on the roads. It’s about getting people to understand the risks.
Statistics of injuries
And what are the risks? In all, there are 186,209 approx casualties on the road each year.
“When you consider the resource going into those collisions – it is quite phenomenal”, says Keith. “And what about serious injuries – 22,137? This has a serious impact on home and work life – it is a huge risk. Five people will die every day on the UK’s road network. That’s five people who left for work in the morning and won’t return home. The Police consider 25% of collisions are directly due to inappropriate speed.”
Reducing road deaths
DriveTech’s head of marketing, Colin Paterson, says “Road deaths can only be reduced if we work together as an industry”. He summarises: “I realise this is not going to happen tomorrow and there must be a focus on continuous improvement. But we work with manufacturers, such as Volvo, and their mission to reduce accidents to zero – like in the aviation industry – and that means we have begun the journey.”
Hear more from Drivetech
DriveTech are sponsoring the Driver Safety Theatre at Safety and Health Expo 2018 (at ExCel, London). Their thought-leadership presentations will take place on 19th, 20th and 21st June and here’s what’s being covered:
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