Driver Risk Management

Notwithstanding the statutory duty of care that all employers have towards the wellbeing of their employees whilst at work, taking steps to reduce the amount of bent metal incurred by your working vehicles, by implementing some form of Driver Risk Management programme, simply makes good business sense. Driver risk management is more than just implementing fleet driver training. Managing road risk is a vital element proper fleet management and can reap significant financial rewards.

Although these days you’re pretty unlikely to see insurance premiums decrease year on year, you can at least slow down the rate of increase and reduce excess levels if you improve your claims record. Drivers with better attitude also look after their vehicles more carefully, often making them worth more at disposal time. It’s been proved time and time again that trained drivers use less fuel too, and normal wear and wear items, like tyres and brakes, also benefit from improved life.

And then there are the more ethereal benefits. Drivers feel more valued and less stressed if they are involved in a programme of driver development that has their welfare as the focus. Also, as an employer, there’s always that nagging worry that the mobile billboard masquerading as your liveried vehicle is going to end up in the local papers or on the local television news as centre stage in a spectacular pile up. That’s not good for image, brand values or customer perception.

If you would like to have a free, no obligation consultation with one of our experienced experts, to assess your risk management needs, please contact us at enquiries@drivesurvive.co.uk, giving a location and contact phone number.

SUMMARY OF THE OVERALL BENEFITS OF AN IN-DEPTH DRIVER RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME.

• Compliance with duty of care
• Compliance with existing Health and Safety Legislation
• Defined audit trail in the case of investigation into transgressions of Health and Safety regulations
• Systems resulting from the programme protect against liability if Corporate Killing becomes law
• Improved staff morale and sense of employee self worth
• Improved insurance terms
• A degree of protection against the negative publicity consequences of a fatality involving an employee
• Reduced cost of vehicle fleet operation:
  • Reduced direct repair cost
  • Reduced insurance costs
  • Reduced fuel consumption
  • Reduced tyre wear and other consumables
  • Reduced vehicle downtime/hire car costs
  • Reduced staff downtime/inability to work
  • Improved vehicle residual value

If you require confirmation of the Health & Safery Executive's view on employee's responsibility for managing road risk please click here.

If you wish to see the guidelines for managing work-related road risk produced by the Department for Transport, please click on the link below.

Driving at work – Managing work-related road safety PDF

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