Driver Roadworthiness Guide
We know that vehicles do not cause most collisions – people do
At National Highways road safety is, and will always be, our number one priority. England’s motorways and major A-roads are some of the safest in the world, and our ambition is that no-one should be harmed while travelling or working on our roads.
Road safety is a shared responsibility – it can’t be achieved in isolation. We are continually working with partners, organisations and road users to help us collectively achieve this ambition.
We know that vehicles do not cause most collisions – people do. Most vehicle operators understand the need for strict roadworthiness standards for their vehicles – but it is equally important that their drivers also meet high standards for health, welfare and ‘roadworthiness’.
Driving requires sustained focus, situational awareness and sound, rational decision-making. Issues such as pain, fatigue, illness, stress and dehydration are likely to compromise a driver’s ability to maintain their attention on the road and to perform safely.
Organisations which prioritise driver welfare set their drivers up for success. By educating, sharing resources, creating schedules and fostering supportive environment drivers are better able to maintain their physical and mental health. Benefits to organisations include lower costs, lower levels of sick leave, reduced absenteeism and presenteeism, lower levels of downtime, reduced insurance claims and vehicle damage, and better productivity.
More than half of the vehicles on our network are occupied by at-work drivers. This means that by working together to ensure the ‘roadworthiness’ of at-work drivers, we can reduce the number of collisions, supporting our ambition of zero harm on our network.
Achieving this shared vision will benefit the country, your organisation and your employees, and the families and individuals who deserve to use our road network in safety. We hope you find this guide an invaluable resource in making your driver workforce fit for the road.
Mark Cartwright
Head of Commercial Vehicle Incident Prevention
National Highways
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: Human Factors
Psychological safety (Tom Geraghty, founder of Psych Safety)
Chapter 2: Physical illness and conditions
Introduction – physical illness and conditions
Diabetes (Kate Walker, CEO of Diabetes Safety Organisation)
Eyesight (Association of Optometrists)
Hearing loss (Teri Devine, Director of Inclusion at RNID)
Lung health (Emma Rubach, Head of Health Advice, Asthma + Lung UK)
Musculoskeletal injuries (Jake Fletcher, Director, Physio Med)
Prostate issues (Emma Craske, Senior Specialist Nurse, Prostate Cancer UK)
Sleep disorders (Lisa Artis, Deputy CEO of The Sleep Charity)
Chapter 3: Mental health
Mental health (Dr. David Crepaz-Keay, Head of Research & Applied Learning at the Mental Health Foundation)
Managing trauma (Dr Nicola Lester, Psychological Trauma Consultant)
Chapter 4: Personal circumstances
Personal circumstances (Lucy Smith, Head of Occupational Health and Wellbeing, Mitie)
Chapter 5: Lifestyle factors
Sleep (Marcus de Guingand, MD, Third Pillar of Health)
Sleep hygiene (Lisa Artis, Deputy CEO, The Sleep Charity)
Fatigue (Professor John Groegor, School of Social Sciences, Nottingham Trent University)
SHIFT it! (Professor Stacy Clemes, Professor of Active Living and Public Health, Loughborough University)
Ergonomics (Jake Fletcher, Director, Physio Med)
Diet and hydration (Dalhia Campbell, Accredited Work-Ready Dietitian and media spokesperson for British Dietetic Association)
Chapter 6: Driver screening and monitoring
Driver screening and monitoring (Dr Grant Charlesworth-Jones, who is a medical doctor, barrister and founder of D4Drivers)
The legality of conducting fitness checks with employees (Mike Hayward, Regulatory and Dispute Resolution Partner, and Maria Gallucci, Partner of Company Commercial and Employment Law at Woodfines Solicitors)
Chapter 7: Case studies and comparisons
Wellbeing in other transport sectors
Case study: Wren Kitchens
Case study: Junction24, NHS and Wincanton
Case study: WJ Group
Chapter 8: Potential interventions
Potential interventions plus additional help and resources
Acknowledgements
We’d like to thank all of the contributors who donated their time and expertise to help create this guide, in particular Professor Clare Anderson BSc (hons), PhD, FHEA, Professor of Sleep and Circadian Science, University of Birmingham, who is not credited elsewhere, and Glen Davies of The Driver Handbook for planting the seed.
Written and edited by Louise Cole, Director, White Rose Media Ltd
