It has been estimated that up to a third of all road traffic accidents involve somebody who is actually working at the time. This may account for more then 20 fatalities and 250 serious injuries every week. Some employers believe, incorrectly, that they comply with road traffic law requirements, eg company vehicles have a valid MOT certificate, and drivers hold a valid licence. They believe that this is enough to ensure the safety of their employees, and others, when they are on the road. Health and safety law, however, applies to on-the-road work activities as much as any other work activity, and the risks should be effectively managed within a health and safety management system.  Guidance applies to any employer, manager or supervisor with staff who drive, or ride a motorcycle at work, and in particularly those with responsibility for fleet management. It covers people whose main job is driving, and those who drive or ride occasionally, or for short distances.

Your legal responsibilities

There are many requirements of health and safety law, and these requirements are in addition to the duties you have as an employer under road traffic law eg the Road Traffic Act and Road Vehicle (Construction and Use) Regulations, which are administered by the police and other agencies such as the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency.

The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 requires you to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of all employees while at work. You also have a responsibility to manage health and safety effectively. You need to carry out an assessment of the risks to the health and safety of your employees, while they are at work, and to other people who may be affected by their work activities. The Regulations require you to periodically review your risk assessment so that is remains appropriate.

Corporate Manslaughter April 2008

From April 2008 changes to the corporate manslaughter laws mean that companies whose staff are involved in serious accidents could be liable for gross negligence even if no company car is involved.

You are required to consult with your employees, and where applicable, their health and safety representative, on health and safety issues relevant to driving and the road.

Benefits of managing work-related road safety

The true costs of accidents to organisations are nearly always higher than just the costs of repairs and insurance claims. The consequences of an accident on the self-employed and small business are likely to be proportionately greater than on a larger business with greater resources. The benefits to you from managing work-related road safety can be considerable, no matter the size of your business.

It allows you to exercise better control over costs, such as wear and tear and fuel, insurance premiums and legal fees and claims from employees and third parties.

It also allows you to make informed decisions about matters such as driver training and vehicle purchase, and helps you identify where health and safety improvements can be made.

Case studies and research have shown that benefits from managing work-related road safety and so reducing crashes include:

• fewer days lost due to injury
• reduced risk of work-related ill-health
• reduced stress and improved morale
• less need for investigation and paperwork
• less lost time due to work rescheduling
• fewer vehicles off the road for repair
• reduced running costs through better driving standards
• fewer missed orders and business opportunities so reduced risk of losing the goodwill of customers
• less chance of key employees being banned from driving eg as a result of points on their licence

Promoting sound health and safety driving practices and a good safety culture at work may well spill over into private driving, which could reduce the chances of staff being injured in a crash outside work.

How can Ride Drive (Southern) help with compliance?

Risk assessment for all employees

We can carry out an assessment of employees' on-road risk, and highlight areas where specific training may be required. If you can show that you have effectively managed the on-road risk of your employees and provided additional training to any at risk drivers, you will protect your company from prosecution under the health and safety laws applicable at this moment in time.

Should your drivers require training we can provide:

• Licence, eyesight and vehicle check
• An introduction to safer driving and its benefits to the individual. the company and society in general
• Concentration, observation and anticipation
• Specific solutions matched to each company eg manoeuvring, reversing or parking accidents
• The principles of skid avoidance and skid correction
• A demonstration drive by the trainer
• Individual training for each driver in a Ride Drive (Southern) vehicle, paying particular attention to any specific problems he or she may have
• A full debriefing at the end of each session to provide guidance and advice, specifically in relation to an individual's risk profile
• Recommendations if any further training is required
• A comprehensive printed report for the company, submitted shortly after the course, including individual personal development plans
• A certificate of attendance for each trainee

Costs for fleet driver training

As a basic guide our prices are between £250 and £300 per day including use of a Ride Drive (Southern) vehicle, and we will offer a tailor-made course to fit in with your individual company requirements.

A half-day fleet training course one to one: £150 per person (two to one £180)

A full-day fleet training course one to one: £250 per person (two to one £300)

A course for 10 drivers over three days would consist of all 10 drivers attending an indoors driving presentation and interactive vehicle checks on the morning of day one. In the afternoon, two drivers would undergo a training session, sharing the driving, and helping each other with feedback. On days two and three we would work with two drivers in the morning and another two in the afternoon. The cost for this course would be £750 (only £75 per driver), and we would anticipate the training would save you around £2,000 a year in reduced fuel costs alone.