The Market

We Thought You Should Know…

Did you know that people who drive more than 80% of their annual mileage on work-related journeys are up to 53% more likely to be involved in a motor accident than a private motorist?

Employers are legally responsible for employees who drive whilst at work. The following ten essential elements are designed to assist companies to meet this duty of care.

Management Policy

• Assign a senior manager with specific responsibility for managing driving at work.
• Implement a Health & Safety policy, which incorporates a driving at work policy.
• Routinely undertake, record and act on the findings of risk assessments dealing with all aspects of driving at work including driver safety, vehicle safety and journey planning.
• Ensure that every incident involving any vehicle driven on behalf of the company is recorded and that collective information is regularly analysed and action taken to reduce recurrence.

Driver Safety

• Provide a drivers handbook that includes road safety guidance and sets out individual driver responsibilities, in support of the company's policies and procedures, e.g. what to do in the event of an incident.
• Ensure that all employees driving on behalf of the company are initially vetted, inducted and regularly assessed, to establish that they are properly licensed, competent, suitably trained and medically fit to do so.

Vehicle Safety

• Ensure that when choosing vehicles to be used on behalf of the company they are entirely suitable for their intended purpose and that utmost importance is placed on safety features.
• Ensure that all vehicles used on behalf of the company are regularly inspected and strictly maintained using the manufacturer's recommended service schedules (and if applicable, in accordance with operator licence requirements).

Journey Planning

• Check whether a road journey is really necessary and encourage the use of alternative modes of communication/transport where this is practical.
• Ensure that necessary journeys are scheduled to a realistic timetable and are planned to take into account the essential need for adequate rest periods.

January 2008