RoSPA Press Office : Press Release

April 27 , 2006
COMPANIES MISSING CHANCE TO PREVENT FLEET ACCIDENTS

Employers are missing opportunities to stop their drivers from becoming offenders or crash victims, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said today.

New research has shown that the more times drivers are caught by speed cameras, the more likely they are to crash. Those with penalty points for speeding are far more likely to have an accident than those with a clean licence, according to a study for Midlands’ safety camera partnerships by the Transport Research Institute.

Charles Davis, RoSPA Head of Driver and Fleet Solutions, said: “Points can easily build up and put drivers off the road and this study shows that those who speed are also more likely to crash. Businesses cannot afford to lose drivers in this way.

“There are ways for fleet managers to spot drivers who are most likely to offend and become a problem not just for their own company but for other road users.

“Risk assessment tools such as RoSPA’s Driver Profiler will identify employees’ strengths and weaknesses when driving so that action can be taken to help them. If problems are identified, training can be arranged which should make it less likely that they will offend or have accidents.

“Companies have a duty of care towards their employees and to other road users who may be affected by their driving. It is well known that for the majority of people the most dangerous thing they do while at work is to drive.

“Employers who ignore carrying out risk assessments on their drivers are missing an opportunity to make our roads safer and to protect their business.”

For more information see: www.rospa.com/drivertraining