Driving assessment

Getting a policy in place

To be successful, your road safety work must be understood and supported by everyone in your organisation. It is pointless asking your fleet manager to implement a policy if the company's directors are not fully behind it.

Give overall responsibility for managing road risk to someone who has the authority to ensure the work gets done. He or she will need to make sure that staff from your fleet management, HR and training sections work together effectively to minimise your organisation’s road risk.

Road safety work should be integrated into your organisation’s wider health and safety programme. If you employ more than five people, you must publish a health and safety policy and you should incorporate your driving for work policy into it.

You should still consider producing a health and safety policy if you employ fewer than five people. Having a policy in place will help to prove you have taken steps to reduce risk if one of your employees is involved in a serious crash.

The basic principles of managing road risk are the same whether you’re running a couple of small vans or a fleet of lorries*. The key to success when looking for ways to reduce risk is focusing on your drivers, the vehicles they travel in and the journeys they make.

Below are some of the questions that you should be able to answer 'yes' to once you have started to implement a driving for work policy.

Questions about journeys

  1. Could this road journey be replaced by a conference call or train journey?

  2. Could this journey be completed more safely by a courier company?

  3. Is the chosen route the safest one available?

  4. Has the driver been given enough time to complete the journey safely?

  5. Have sufficient breaks been planned to allow the driver to complete the journey without becoming too tired?

  6. Will poor weather conditions affect the journey?

Questions about vehicles

  1. Are all vehicles properly insured?

  2. Do vehicles over three years old have a current MOT?

  3. Are basic safety checks carried out on vehicles – even those that are privately owned - each time they are driven?

  4. Are vehicles being maintained in accordance with the manufacturers’ recommendations?

  5. Are all vehicles equipped with incident reporting forms, breakdown recovery information, high visibility clothing and a first-aid kit?

Questions about drivers

  1. Are your drivers ‘fit to drive’ according to the standards laid down by the DVLA?

  2. Do your drivers have valid driving licences?

  3. Do your drivers have relevant previous experience?

  4. Have your drivers received the training they need to meet the standards outlined in their job descriptions?

  5. Do your drivers have valid MOTs and insurance if they are using their own vehicles?

  6. Are you drivers aware of their responsibilities under your work driving policy e.g:

    - carrying out daily vehicle checks
    - completing incident report forms
    - reporting licence endorsements
    - ignoring phone calls while driving
    - avoiding alcohol before driving?

* Companies with large good vehicles (LGVs) or passenger service vehicles (PSVs) are subject to specific legal requirements

For more details about our free service, contact the partnership's work driving officer Glenn Benson:

Tel: 01773 525029
email: glenn.benson@derbyshirecountypct.nhs.uk