Top Fleet Awards for Business Champions

19 May 2010

Two of RoadSafe’s Driving for Better Business champions have received national recognition for their commitment to fleet safety.

At the 2010 Fleet World Honours, Langley’s Solicitors, of York and Lincoln, won the Fleet Safety Award for Small Fleets. Essex County Council won the Fleet Safety Award for Large Fleets.

The judging panel was chaired by Fleet World Editor, Steve Moody. He congratulated both organisations for their commitment to RoadSafe’s Driving for Better Business campaign.

Commenting on Essex County Council’s safety initiatives, Mr Moody said, “The council’s own data demonstrates the effectiveness of their scheme in reducing accident rates, and this has clear human, financial and operational advantages. Fleet managers who question the potential benefits of such a scheme have only to look at the case study on the Driving for Better Business website to be convinced.”

On Langley’s Solicitors, Mr Moody said, “Langley’s participation in the (Driving for Better Business) campaign is a clear statement of the emphasis it gives to the responsibilities for managing safety. If the legal profession takes work-related road safety seriously, then astute businessmen should. However much people may be prepared to cuff their responsibilities for safety, the law is inexorable. It is worth remembering this.”

Crashes involving at work drivers cause up to 200 deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads every week. The Department for Transport supports Driving for Better Business in working with fleets to prevent collisions and harm. Essex County Council and Langley’s Solicitors were awarded Driving for Better Business champion status this year, for their exemplary road risk management.

Langley’s Solicitors was the first legal firm to secure Driving for Better Business champion status. It operates six company cars and two pool cars, used for business by more than 150 of its almost 300 employees.

The firm has a first class safety record with few accidents, all of them being very minor. It showed leadership with the implementation of its own, comprehensive, best practice driving for work policy, and the gathering of Langley’s road safety expertise resulted in the launch of an outreach programme, helping other businesses improve the safety of their fleets.

Speaking after the 2010 Fleet World Awards, Langley’s partner, Jeremy Scott said, “We are proud and delighted to receive the Award. We take our responsibilities in managing occupational road risk seriously as the safety of our staff and members of the public is of paramount importance.

“As a full service legal firm with specialist capability in advising businesses upon both health and safety and road traffic legislation, Langley’s recognised the importance of putting its own systems in order and developing a culture of responsibility for safety internally.

“As a result, we are better able to advise our clients on how best to manage their own occupational road risk. To be recognised for our contribution in managing such risks is important in helping to deliver awareness on issues which no employer should be ignoring.”

Essex County Council runs a fleet of 855 vehicles including cars (580 employees run a vehicle under the authority’s lease car scheme), car-derived vans, light commercial vehicles, HGVs, purpose-built vehicles such as mobile libraries, passenger-carrying vehicles, buses, coaches and plant and equipment. In addition, approximately 7,000 employees use their own cars on business.
As well as having launched its own comprehensive Driving Standards Code of Practice, the council works with local businesses, helping them manage their occupational road risk. It offers a number of solutions for policy makers, fleet managers, and directors. These include Driving for Better Business seminars, HGV and PSV operator seminars, business day events for drivers, and workshops on individual work-related road safety topics.

Speaking on Essex County Council’ success, Councillor Norman Hume, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, said, “This is a tremendous achievement, which helps to raise the profile of the work we do to improve road safety within our own fleet.

“Our programme delivers tailored solutions to meet our driving needs, including offering employees’ theory sessions, driver assessments and familiarisation courses, plus this year we’re also introducing e-learning assessments and modules. We are also committed to using what we have learned to help other businesses in Essex improve their fleet safety and ultimately make Essex’s roads safer.”

The champions’ achievements, at the 2010 Fleet World Honours, have delighted Driving for Better Business Campaign Director, Caroline Scurr. “The business champions are used to promote the financial, legal and moral reasons for organisations across the public and private sectors to invest in at-work driving safety.

“Therefore, independent award recognition is vital in raising the profile of the campaign and the work of our business champions. We hope that other organisations will follow the safe driving lead which has clearly been established by Langley’s Solicitors and Essex County Council.

“Both organisations have implemented a wide range of safety-focused initiatives that are delivering major benefits to themselves, their staff and the communities in which they operate.”

The success, of the two Driving for Better Business champions, follows similar recognition of the campaign last year. Champions, Chamberlain Doors and Wolseley UK both won fleet safety awards at the 2009 Fleet World Honours, and DfBB won the Fleet Driver Services Award.