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Driving on Business

This Driver Information Programme is aimed as a foot-in-the-door for road safety officers and the fire and rescue service officers.

Working with our partners we are able to provide high quality material that we can make available to them for use in companies.

Our partners tell us they simply want a way to start discussion within companies and so, using actor Ralph Ineson, we are approaching the subject with light hearted humour and a very simple approach. It is a way of encouraging employers and employees to think about, and discuss, work related road safety (WRRS).

The DVD contains 5 mini-movies to raise awareness of the issues most relevant to businesses, covering the following issues:

• Corporate manslaughter
• Saving money on the bottom line
• Other ways of working (remote access or working from home)
• Leading by example
• Car safety checks
• Speeding and pressure put on employees by employer
• Eco driving
• Mobile phones

There is also a range of promotional material, to support this programme.

For more information please contact our HAIL line (08457 50 40 30).

Artwork

• Driving on Business Images 

Corporate Manslaughter

For further information please visit the Ministry of Justice website.

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Saving Money On The Bottom Line

Every day we seem to hear about the current petrol prices, the price of insurance and the cost of repairs but have you ever thought about the cost to your business that all of these have, not including any associated costs?

The single biggest directly associated cost with driving is fuel. Most cars consume the least amount of fuel around 60mph, so the faster you go above this the more money you are literally burning out of the exhaust pipe.

Allowing enough time to make a journey means that you can drive at a speed that is best for your wallet. If you are stuck in traffic and not going anywhere have you considered turning off your engine so that you are not burning fuel just for the privilege of sitting still? (This is not advised for stop/start traffic.)

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Text transcript of video

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Other Ways Of Working

• When you arrive at work after driving in, how long is it before you can really focus on a task that needs your detailed attention?
• When you are sat at your desk trying to give a piece of work your undivided attention, how many times are you distracted by people or things in the office?

With the increasing levels of congestion on the nation's road and the average commute being over an hour, getting into work and getting home again can be a major part of an employee's day. This commute can be quite stressful and mean that when you arrive at work you are not at your most productive until you have relaxed and can focus on the work that needs to be done.

Every day at work we need to make choices of varying levels of importance, one of these choices should be what approach best suits this way of work. Whether it is working remotely some days so that you can concentrate fully on a particular piece of work or whether you have the monthly meeting by video conference every other month, a choice should be made on the best option for employee and employer.

There are so many different options that current technology affords us it could be costing you time and money to not even consider them.

View the movie

Text transcript of video

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Leading By Example

All senior managers should lead by personal example, both in the way they drive themselves and in encouraging colleagues to drive safely.

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Vehicle Safety Checks

Staff should carry out daily 'walk round' or 'circle' checks of their vehicles using a standard, written checklist. Checks should ensure tyres/wheels are in good condition and brakes, lights and wipers are working.

Management should provide check lists in all vehicles for drivers to conduct weekly checks of their vehicle, including tyre pressure, wheels, fluids, wipers, brakes, lights and indicators.  Safety-critical defects, e.g. brake failure, must be reported and corrected immediately.

A copy of the vehicle handbook should be carried in all vehicles.

Loose items should not be carried in the passenger compartment of any vehicle or must be firmly secured before starting a journey in such a way that they will not become a hazard in a crash (e.g. clamped behind the seat).

Please download the Daily Vehicle Check List Form (PDF 32.6KB) for an example of what kind of questions a check list should include.

View the movie

Text transcript of video

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Speeding And Pressures Put On Employee By Employer

Everybody knows that exceeding the speed limit for the road that you are on is an endorsable offence that could lead to being banned from driving. Speeding is also a contributory factor in a significant number of all driver accidents.

Feeling that you need to speed to get to a meeting on time or just to arrive into work usually means that you have not left enough time to make the journey to begin with. Allowing enough time to make a journey based on the conditions for the day and time of travel will help to avoid the feeling that you need to speed to get there in time.

Putting unrealistic targets on your employees to carry out journeys that could lead to them speeding is bad management practice and could have severe effects for all parties involved. Please refer to Corporate Manslaughter for more details.

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Text transcript of video

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Eco Driving

The environment and being "Green" are increasingly in the spot light for business and the way that a business travels can reflect largely on its green credentials.

This varies from choosing what kind of cars the company uses to how they are used. The company should set key criteria for the purchase of any new cars to incorporate their "green credentials" to consider emissions and fuel efficiency. Planning journeys to avoid peak periods and traffic black spots can help in reducing the pollution produced on a journey.

Most cars' fuel efficiency is highest around 60mph - this will vary based on the car - but going much faster than this will cost you more financially and will be to the detriment to the environment.

The most "environmentally friendly" way to drive is not to drive at all…so why not think about other ways to run your business that could also save you money.

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Mobile Phones

Using a hand held mobile telephone while driving is illegal. Even before it was some companies had banned mobile phone use when driving because the negotiation of business deals is less successful when driving at the same time: they want their staff to give their full attention to the business.

Research has shown that using a mobile phone while driving, whether hand-held or hands-free, leads to:

• Reduced awareness of what is happening on the road.
• Failure to see road signs.
• Failure to maintain proper lane position and steady speed.
• An increased tendency to tailgate.
• Increased reaction times and longer braking distances.
• Four times higher risk of crashing.

As well as this it is now an endorsable offence.

Cradles for hands-free mobile phone can cause serious injury to the occupants of the vehicle in the case of an accident and reduces your concentration on driving.  Before answering a call, the driver should safely leave the road and bring the vehicle to a complete and safe stop before initiating or answering a call. This also applies to radios used for two-way communication.

But the safest way of all is to turn your phone off before you drive off.

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