General Motors becomes first vehicle producer to join campaign

14 December 2009

General Motors UK, one of Britain’s leading vehicle manufacturers and car and van retailers, has become the first motor company to join the Government-backed ‘Driving for Better Business’ campaign, which is delivered by RoadSafe, as a business champion.

After boosting its occupational road risk management measures five years ago with the launch of its ‘Safe Driving Programme’, the company has introduced a string of initiatives that has resulted in halving the number of road crashes involving vehicles on its 600-strong fleet and a 20% cut in annual insurance premiums.

The programme, championed by chairman and managing director Bill Parfitt, covers a number of GM operating companies in the UK and Ireland including Vauxhall, Opel Ireland, Saab GB, Cadillac, Corvette and Hummer and staff at the company’s manufacturing plants in Luton and Ellesmere Port.

The programme is aimed at the 600 employees who drive an average of 20-25,000 miles a year in company cars. Additionally, many of GM’s other initiatives also extend to the company’s 5,400 other employees who clock up private miles and are part of the company’s Car Plan scheme.

As well as extending the policy to all users of vehicles administered by GM and to their families, as far as is practicable and reasonable, the company also ensures that GM UK Fleet Management and other vehicle supply or administration organisations are involved in the safety policies.

In the future, GM is looking to introduce compulsory eye-sight testing for all drivers, an online driver training programme for families of all drivers whether they travel on business or not and to extend its best practice sharing with more customers and suppliers.