BT embraces European Road Safety Day and Road Safety Week 2008

22 October 2008

www.virtualriskmanager.net

BT embraces European Road Safety Day and Road Safety Week 2008 and encourages people to ‘take road safety home’ to protect the ones you love.

With European Road Safety Day* just gone and Road Safety Week** rapidly approaching, Driving for Better Business champion BT has reaffirmed its commitment to community road safety by working with Interactive Driving Systems to re-launch its Family and Friends Road Safety program.

This is particularly important because many road collisions happen close to home, often within the communities in which people live and work meaning that safety in the workplace can also have a major impact on you, your family and community while at home.

BT encourages its people to drive safely while at work, and also that family members take care at all times while using the road. The message is that: ‘We want you to take road safety home with you, and to engage your family (including brothers, children, sisters, friends, husbands, nannies, partners, sons, daughters, spouses and wives) in driving safely at all times’.

Here are some important questions to think about in relation to family and friends road safety:

• Do they drive carefully at all times?
• Do they have a valid driving licence?
• Do you feel safe while travelling with them?
• Do you lead by example when others, particularly young people, are in your car?
• Have they read the Highway Code recently?
• Have they undertaken any driver assessment or training since passing their test?
• How good is their use of mirrors, brakes, signals, steering, clutch, gears, speed, safety space, vehicle positioning and road junctions?
• How safe are their parking, manoeuvring, following and hazard perception techniques?
• How will their driving affect your insurance premium and resale value of your vehicle?
• Is the vehicle they drive road worthy and legal (insured, taxed, certificated, and serviced)?
• What can you do to help your family and community members be safer on the road?
• What things have you learnt at work that can also be useful for safe driving at home?

BT Friends and Family Safe Driving Program

To help keep family and friends safe on the road, BT has re-launched its online driver training module One More Second for family members and friends. To date over 5,000 people have visited the website, but the company is urging more people to take part.

BT's Group Safety Advisor Dave Wallington said: ‘During the last six years we have assessed and developed the driving behaviours of over 65,000 of our own people, and seen significant reductions in our collision rate and associated costs. Re-launching our Family and Friends initiative is a natural extension of this program, and an opportunity for the community to participate in a scheme which is already helping to keep BT Employees safe at work.’

The One More Second module implemented by BT for Friends and Family is one element of Virtual Risk Manager, which has been successfully used by a range of organisations around the world over the last ten years, including over 35,000 BT employees.

The training is completely free of charge to BT family members and friends.

More details are available from BT's Group Safety Advisor, Dave Wallington or from Interactive Driving Systems via

* European Road Safety Day was celebrated on 13 October 2008 and with the theme of ‘Road Safety in our Cities’.

** Road Safety Week runs 10-14 November 2008, with the theme of 'Family Safety - Protect the ones you Love’.