CORPORATE FLEET SAFETY

All employers – whether their business is large or small - have a legal and moral responsibility to look after the safety of their staff. Part of this ‘duty of care’ is ensuring the safety of employees on the roads if their job requires any driving. Employers have an obligation to make sure company cars are in a sound mechanical condition and ensure they have the necessary skills and training.

Having a road or fleet safety policy is a positive step that employers can take to reduce the risk of their staff being killed or injured on the road. Safe driving results in lower wear and tear on company fleet vehicles, and fewer crashes mean lower repair costs.  No company wants to see their employees injured. The human toll of road crashes can significantly affect the morale and well-being of all staff. It’s important that staff understand their responsibilities when driving a company vehicle and what behaviours are expected of them. They also need to see ‘what’s in it for them’ – this may include the safety benefits for them as individuals, as well as the cost and reputation benefits, of abiding by a safe driving policy.

It is well established that education and training are precursors to behavioural change. Increasing driver knowledge and awareness of safety issues is a valuable tool in drivers recognising and evading dangers on the road. Appropriate training and education programs based on the needs of employees should be assessed and implemented in an appropriate fashion within the organisation. Human behaviour is shaped in childhood by a person’s attitudes, beliefs and values and is refined or reshaped in adolescence and adult life. This socialisation process is a dynamic process whereby experiences and education can help reinforce, reshape or change behaviour. There is some evidence to suggest that fleet drivers adopt higher risk behaviours in work vehicles than they normally would because there is little or no financial burden involved (Newman, Watson & Murray 2002).