While policies, technology and training all play essential roles, the single most influential factor in shaping safe driving behaviours is managerial leadership. When managers understand their responsibilities and appreciate the extent of their influence, safety performance improves. When they don’t, organisations face preventable incidents, rising costs, and increased risk exposure.
What separates high performing fleets from the rest isn’t whether incidents occur, but how effectively they respond. Fast, accurate reporting is the difference between controlled outcomes and spiralling costs. Speed without accuracy is insufficient. Incomplete FNOL reports force insurers and fleet teams to chase missing information.
One of the big myths in our industry is that there is no legislation that covers the duties of van and car drivers. When we run HGV fleets, we are very aware of the legislation and strive to be compliant. If we run mixed fleets, but what about our car and van drivers?
Across the fleet sector, psychological safety is increasingly cited at conferences and in fleet safety features as a lever for reducing work-related road traffic collisions. Yet many discussions stop short of explaining how it actually influences driver behaviour and safety outcomes.
Fitness to drive is defined by minimum medical standards set by the DVLA. A driver may feel broadly well, function normally day to day, and still fall outside the DVLA’s medical standards without realising it. From a road safety perspective, this creates a legal risk that exists long before it becomes visible.
Vehicle health checks are crucial before heading out on the road. They impact not only the health and safety of the driver but also other road users, yet not enough emphasis is placed on carrying out these health checks with the person controlling the vehicle; the driver.
According to the Office for National Statistics, around 32% of UK adults have high blood pressure, yet nearly 30% of those remain undiagnosed. That’s 4–5 million people in England alone – many of whom may be behind the wheel every day.
This week, we hear from Bev Tapp, Wellbeing Champion at Stagecoach on the interventions they are using, which are aimed at improving the overall health and wellbeing of their drivers. Driver wellbeing interventions Professional drivers have a busy job and need to maintain high levels of concentration all day. Some retailers and employers are
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