Research reveals business fleets neglect road safety
New research has revealed that 80% of business fleets do not have a road safety policy in place for their drivers.
The survey, conducted by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, also found that 48% of businesses do not carry out regular vehicle safety checks while 53% do not have a health and safety officer responsible for fleet risk management in place.
Further, 65% of fleets do not use telematics or GPS tracking systems, and 39% of professional drivers have never been offered driver or rider training or assessment.
IAM RoadSmart director of policy and standards Nicholas Lyes said: “These findings are certainly alarming, especially in light of recent government data showing that progress on bringing down fatal and serious injuries has stalled.”
Road safety
He continued: “While most businesses will take road safety seriously, it’s clear that some need to do significantly more to limit the risk that their drivers pose both to their own safety and that of other road users.
“Bad business driving not only poses a risk to health and safety but also threatens to inflict reputational harm on businesses and cause repair costs and insurance premiums to soar. Investing in regular driver training is one of the best ways for firms to promote good road safety, staff well-being and keep costs down.”
To address this, the charity is hosting an online workshop of 14 October which will cover a range of topics, including the importance of managing associated risks, the laws that apply to work-related road safety, and what should be included in a Company Driver Risk Management Programme.
Fleets are now being invited to find out more about the course and book tickets.
