RoSPA Press Office : Press Release
March 2, 2000
TASK FORCE MEANS MAJOR STEP FORWARD FOR FLEET SAFETY
A new task force being set up by the Government to look at ways of preventing accidents involving company vehicles will pave the way for major changes in fleet safety, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said today.
The task force - announced as part of Government road safety strategies aimed at reducing road deaths by 40 per cent in the next 10 years - will examine the issues raised by RoSPA in its pioneering campaign on managing occupational road risk.
It will seek to get an accurate picture of the number of work-related traffic accidents, establish their main causes and find ways to prevent them.
Roger Bibbings, RoSPA Occupational Safety Adviser, said: "The Government has recognised that there must be minimum standards for employers and others in managing the road safety implications of work-related journeys.
"The news that it will look at ways of dovetailing road traffic law and its enforcement with health and safety at work law and its enforcement is what we have been waiting for.
"It will now be clear to all employers that they must make the safety of their drivers part of the overall management of health and safety. Not only are their own drivers at risk on the roads, but they could be jeopardising the lives of other road users, including pedestrians and other workers.
"The effect of this will be that employers will have to adopt a much more systematic approach, having the right policies, people and procedures in place to assess risks, introduce controls and measure safety performance against targets. Issues like excessive hours at the wheel, the need for training and planning safer routes will have to be given much higher priority."
Bob Smalley, RoSPA General Manager Driver Services, said: "We already have training courses in place to ensure that companies are ready for any new measures that will be introduced.
"RoSPA is delighted that a register of specialist car driving instructors to train fleet drivers is to be established. We have already developed a suitable qualification for them, which we hope will become the national standard.
"The proposed development of an Occupational Highway Code could provide useful extra guidance to employers and people who drive as part of their job."
