Report reveals weak company risk policies
Company policies on road safety are weak or entirely absent in many cases, according to Risk and Reward 2007, a report published by Alphabet, the multimarque BMW Group subsidiary that operates 36,000 vehicles in the UK...
Fact file:
Risk and Reward 2007
Road safety is now a boardlevel
issue for many more
organisations than it was two
years ago. In 2005, 36% of
boards completely ignored or
never discussed fleet issues:
now that figure is 16%.
Almost eight out of 10 companies
surveyed said they had
addressed road risk but while
56% of those relied on making
policy changes or sending
memos to drivers, only 9%
carried out risk assessments,
8% provided driver training
and 5% checked whether
their drivers were licensed or
insured to drive.
A quarter of employees
drive unchecked, with only
75% of companies including
all employees who drive
on business in their safety
checks.
Tiredness is known to be
a significant cause of road
crashes. 27% of drivers said
they were subject to limits
on the hours they could drive
on business but three out of
four of those drivers said that
their company rules did not
affect the amount they drove
in practice.
61% of companies had no
guidelines for dealing with
drivers involved in crashes;
21% had no policy for drivers
who accumulated driving licence
penalty points and 85%
of companies did not encourage
careful driving or penalise
careless employees.
Only 18 out of 251 firms questioned had carried out fleet risk assessments as stipulated in the Health and Safety Executive's guidelines on managing at-work road safety, while a fifth of companies surveyed admitted they had done nothing to address road safety risks.
A major omission uncovered by the research involves the estimated four million employees who regularly drive on business but don't receive a company car or car allowance from their employer. Although driving is now recognised as one of the most dangerous working activities, a quarter of firms questioned did not include such employees in their road safety procedures, creating a safety 'black hole' for a million workers.
In half the companies questioned, action on risk consisted of updating fleet policies or issuing leaflets or memos to drivers. Only 16 out of the 251 organisations had arranged training for drivers, while just 10 had introduced checks on driving licences and insurance.
Meanwhile, research among over 550 business drivers for the report revealed that eight out of 10 drivers who were covered by company rules on mobile phones or driving hours admitted these made no practical difference to their behaviour when at the wheel.
And six out of 10 drivers had not been required to sign their company's safety policy, which could hit the employer's defence if prosecuted after a crash.
Alphabet commercial director Richard Schooling said: "It is alarming to know that effective action on at-work road safety is spread so thinly, and with so many gaps, nearly four years after the HSE published clear guidance in this area.
"The verdict from our interviews with drivers is that businesses still have much work to do to turn policies and promises into practical action steps that will increase safety and cut costs.
"Many employers are not making a sufficient business case for safety in their fleets. Investing in better driving standards not only protects staff and helps achieve compliance with HSE requirements; it also delivers measurable returns by bringing down the high costs of repairs, insurance, fuel consumption, excessive wear and tear and accelerated depreciation."
Copies of the 'Risk and Reward 2007' report are available from Alphabet on 0870 5050100 or alphabet@alphabet.com