Road accidents are now the most common form of work-related death, injury and absence from work in Australia (Safety climate & driver safety at work: integrating fleet management & OHS).
The annual cost of road traffic injury is estimated to be over AU$500 million and related property damage increases this figure to over AU$1 billion (Travelsafe34, 2002)
These two facts show the enormous social & financial impact unsafe driving practices have on Australia every year. With over 25% of all cars on the road being company owned, managers & business owners cannot ignore driver safety education, no matter what the size of the business.
However simply creating a policy isn’t enough. Once a policy is written drivers must be educated continuously. Too many times policies are written, filed & never heard of again. Training & reinforcement is vital to reducing the impact of unsafe driving in the workplace, you would be surprised how many companies skip this step.
Stewart Boggle conducted a symposium at the Western Australian conference on road safety & found that employees that are educated about their legal responsibility are involved in less accidents & file for less compensation, resulting in not only a reduction in injuries but also a reduction in associated compensation claims.
Your company might be able to deal with the costs of unsafe driving but as the highest contributing factor to work related deaths your drivers & their families are the ones who ultimately pay the highest price.
Does your company have safe driving policies?
Does every driver know them?
