DriverFocus Driving4Work News Articles

Article: Managing Road Risk - Five Years On...
Date: 25 January 2012

We can all be proud of the fact that Ireland has become one of the safest countries in the world in which to drive. Between 2006 and 2011, the number of fatalities on Irish roads has fallen by 49% (186 compared to 365). This was no accident - there are many reasons for this improved performance.

Certainly, as a country, our attitude towards road safety and our behaviour behind the wheel has improved. However, in our opinion, much of the credit for this positive change must go to the focus on road safety brought about by the establishment of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) in Sept 2006 and it's proactive management of road risk.

The RSA works successfully in partnership with other authorities (e.g. An Garda Siochana, HSA), a wide range of interest groups and communities to drive home awareness of risks associated with driving and our individual role in improving road safety. This challenge to all of us is issued on the basis that collisions are - almost without exception - both predictable and preventable.

The problem however is that while road safety may not be "rocket science", it is complex and there are many factors that determine risk levels.

Some of the contributing factors that have improved our national road safety performance include:
- better roads (we now have 1,187 kms of motorway in Ireland)
- reduction in blood alcohol content (BAC) to 50mg or 20mg for some drivers
- increase in penalty points offences
- enforcement of provisional license / learner permit rules
- mandatory lessons for learner drivers
- regulation of driving instruction
- major increase in road safety awareness campaigns

Steering Clear of Complacency

As in the case of buying financial products, there is a caveat that past performance is not a predictor of the future. Noel Brett, CEO of the RSA recently highlighted just two factors that increase the collision risk. “The tyre market is way down, which is very worrying – and vehicle lubricant sales are down by about 60 per cent. That is really shocking, because it indicates that people aren’t getting cars serviced.”

Driving for Work (DFW) - The Opportunity

Following the success to date of their 2007-2012 road safety strategy and management initiatives, the RSA may well turn it's attention to Driving for Work. There are two key reasons for this: DFW is a factor in about 30% of fatalities and evidence clearly points to employers - with some exceptions and despite the publication of the RSA/HSA "Driving for Work - A Guide for Employers" in June 2009 - not taking basic precautions to minimise loss and harm.

In October 2011, the RSA and HSA released preliminary findings from research conducted among 500 employers in Ireland which painted a startling picture of neglect. Among the main findings of what businesses were doing:

- 47% had no policies or procedures for DFW
- 62% did not provide information to those who DFW
- 47% had no incident reporting system
- 17% had details of average kilometres per employee
- 14% provided induction training
- 84% planned no training in next 12 months

Having taken on long-standing issues such as learner drivers, alcohol, fatigue and speeding, DFW may well be the last significant piece of "low hanging fruit" to be picked by the RSA. In the same way as proactive driver risk management has worked at national level, it can and does work at enterprise level too. Employers have a captive audience of drivers and just like the authorities, organiations can influence activities and in return expect reduced liability, loss & harm exposure.

As 2012 sees the drafting of the next RSA Road Safety Strategy and 2013 is the target date in the HSA's Work Related Vehicle Safety plan for DFW, we look forward to seeing more employers get into the driving seat and making a real difference to what happens on our roads.

Note

About DriverFocus: Since 2007, DriverFocus has helped leading employers in Ireland & the UK manage driver risk & driving-related costs by objectively benchmarking organisational preparedness, identifying those drivers most at-risk & providing a range of low-cost, targeted interventions.

Article: ESB & KTL Win EU Driving for Work Awards
Date: 19 May 2011

Minister for Transport, Mr Leo Varadkar T.D. and Mr Noel Brett of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) have congratulated ESB and Kildare-based company KTL on their presentation of prestigious PRAISE Awards by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) in Brussels yesterday. 

The ESB won the Large Company Award - which BT plc won in 2010 - and KTL received the SME Award, beating off stiff competition from across the EU to pick up the accolades for their commitment to Driving for Work.
 
The aim of the three year project is to recognise and ‘praise’ businesses that have demonstrated best practice in workplace road safety. The ETSC sought entrants from across the EU who could demonstrate what they have achieved through their efforts to reduce road collisions at work.  The ETSC’s panel of judges evaluated entrants based on a number of criteria including evidence of progress, innovation and lasting efforts. The ‘PRAISE Award’ is presented annually to an employer identified for taking on the road safety challenge responsibly. 
ESB was awarded the Large Company Award for their commitment to ensuring the safety of their employees through a ‘Safe Driving Programme’.

KTL, a Naas-based Telecoms & Power company, received the SME Award for their continued commitment to Driving for Work and ensuring the safety of staff where driving is part of their daily routine.
 
Mr. Leo Varadkar TD, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport said: “Congratulations to ESB and KTL for winning this award.  This is a testament to their great work in ensuring the safety of their staff and colleagues who drive as part of their job. The workplace road safety initiatives at ESB and KTL have helped to increase road safety awareness.  Most importantly these efforts have produced safer drivers, and fewer injuries and fatalities on our roads.  I commend both companies’ efforts and urge other businesses to follow this example by adopting similar driving for work programmes.”
 
Mr Noel Brett, Chief Executive of the RSA said: “On behalf of the RSA, I would like to extend my congratulations to ESB and KTL.  It is a remarkable achievement for not one, but two Irish businesses to win these awards. It shows that Irish companies are leading the way at an EU level in terms of road safety in the workplace.  I am delighted that their commitment to road safety has been recognised in the EU. Road safety in the workplace is often overlooked but studies show that people who drive company cars have between 30% and 40% more collisions than ordinary drivers and this risk increases for those who drive more than 40,000 kilometres a year.  I would urge companies across Ireland to follow the example set by ESB and KTL and implement a workplace road safety programme to protect staff on the road.”
 
ESB, who formed a Strategic Alliance ‘Achieving Safe Driving Excellence’ with the RSA in 2009, are previous winners of the RSA ‘Leading Light in Road Safety’ Award (Business category). ESB’s commercial fleet consists of almost 2,000 vehicles travelling 64 million km annually in addition to some 3,000 ESB staff driving private vehicles a total of 19 million km on ESB business annually.  Recognising that driving for work was a significant risk in ESB the ‘Safe Driving Bureau’ was established in 2004.  Safe driving programmes, ‘Safe Driving – It’s My Responsibility’ and ‘Achieving Road Safety Excellence’, focussed on the areas of driver training, awareness, collision reduction and cost reduction have since been implemented.  The programmes have seen significant results, most importantly with a reduction in the number of fleet vehicles involved in serious collisions having dropped by 60% over the period.
 
Speaking about the award, Conal Bonnar, Manager, Fleet and Equipment, ESB, said: “The safety of staff, including work-related road safety, is of paramount importance for ESB.  We are constantly striving to reduce the risk to our drivers, and to all road users, through our safe driving initiatives.  These initiatives are widely embraced by both ESB staff and management. This award is indeed a very welcome recognition of our efforts.”
 
KTL, a Power and Telecoms company based in Naas and with regional offices in Ireland, UK, Belgium and South Africa, employs 170 people directly and 80 indirectly.  KTL has 105 vehicles travelling 3.5 million km annually.  To ensure the safety of their employees who drive as part of their job, KTL implemented a number of safe driving initiatives including a driver risk assessment where all drivers are professionally assessed to gauge their driving ability.  In addition, KTL has adopted a number of measures to continuously monitor the risks associated with driving for work and implement controls to reduce these risks, such as GPS Fleet Management and more recently a pilot scheme installing behavioural software on three of their vehicles to monitor driver behaviour.  The result has seen a significant decrease in the number of collisions and road traffic law infringements and an increased awareness of road safety in the workplace.
 
Mr Alan Hanamy CEO at  KTL, said: “Keeping our staff safe on the roads is one of the most important parts of our business.  Our safe driving initiatives are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure our staff members understand the importance of work-related road safety. We are delighted to receive this award as an acknowledgement of our efforts in improving road safety awareness in the workplace, and will continue to implement safe driving practices throughout our business.”
 
Martin O’Halloran, CEO of the Health and Safety Authority said, “ESB and KTL have put considerable resources into their work related road safety management systems and have been recognised at European level. Organisations that ensure risks are properly managed have improved safety for staff and the public.”
 
In 2009, the RSA and HSA developed ‘Driving for Work’ guidelines which assist employers to manage their staff’s safety on the roads.  The guidelines provide an overview of legislation, how to carry out risk assessments and highlight the significant benefits for businesses and the wider community when work related road safety is managed effectively.  The guidelines are available free of charge from both the RSA and the HSA.  For further information, you can Contact Us.
 
For further information on ESB’s ‘Safe Driving Bureau’, email safedriving@esb.ie. For information on KTL’s driving for work programme, visit www.ktl.ie

Article: Decade of Action for Road Safety Launched.
Date: May 12, 2011
 

Decade of Action (2011-2020), an initiative dedicated to global road safety was launched on May 11, with ceremonies held throughout the world.
 
Every year, almost 1.3 million people are killed worldwide due to traffic crashes. That number is projected to increase to 1.9 million by the year 2020. The Decade of Action for Road Safety has a goal of stabilising and then reducing the level of worldwide road fatalities by bringing more attention to safety at regional, national, and global levels.
 
Employers are encouraged to engage not only their company drivers and employees with driver training and education initiatives, but also to extend the reach of these programmes to employee family members and to the communities where the company operates.
 
The Decade of Action plan outlines steps toward improving the safety of roads and vehicles, enhancing emergency medical services and improving road safety management.   To support the Road Safety Decade of Action, organisations can plan their own events or join national or local events. See the official website for the Decade of Action (http://www.who.int/roadsafety/decade_of_action/en/), hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO), for advocacy tools and more information.
 

Article: Speed Enforcement Ramps-Up
Date: November 15, 2010

The nationwide €65M, 5-year mobile speed enforcement camera programme starts at midnight tonight.

Aimed at changing driver behaviour, it's success will see a reduction in the frequency and severity of speed-related collisions.  This investment by the state is a major element of the RSA's road safety strategy and is the first time that enforcement has been outsourced to the private sector.

Speed is a contributing factor in many collisions.  According to the RSA 2008 Road Collision Fact Book, "in single vehicle fatal collisions, exceeding safe speed limit was cited as the main contributory action in 54 per cent of collisions."

In February, 2010, the RSA reported that a Free Speed Survey undertaken in 2008 showed a mixed set of results with car drivers being less compliant with posted speed limits, compared to the previous study in 2007.

11,935 cars were monitored during this Survey and the results showed that:
- The average free speed of cars was below the speed limit on all rural road types. 
- Just 1 in 5 cars on rural roads were found to be speeding.
- On regional roads, over 3 out of 5 car drivers travelled at speeds lower than the posted speed limit.
- 4 out of 5 car drivers travelling at less than the speed limit on local roads.
- The number of cars complying with the speed limit on dual carriageways and national secondary roads has decreased since the 2007 survey.
- However, the number of cars complying with the speed limit on motorways, dual carriageways, national primary and national secondary roads has increased since 1999.
- 61% of all cars surveyed on urban roads were speeding.

Details of the 750 safety camera sites and 518 zones can be found at: http://www.garda.ie/gosafe.html

Employers are advised to send a note to every individual Driving for Work, advising them of the increased enforcement, the associated risk of accumulating penalty points and the benefits of appropriate speed.

Article: Green Light from Cabinet on Corporate Manslaughter Law
Date: December 27, 2010

Minister for Justice, Dermot Ahern was given approal from the Government Cabinet last week for the drafting of a law to make employers and senior managers responsible for the deaths and serious injuries caused by gross negligence.   

This follows recommendations made in October 2005 by the Law Reform Commission's Report on Corporate Killing, which recommended:
1. A new statutory criminal offence of corporate manslaughter should be enacted which would make an undertaking (such as a company, a public body or a partnership firm) responsible for a death arising from its gross negligence.  A key difference from the existing law would be that the ‘controlling mind’ test would be replaced by a much wider range of factors to be taken into account in deciding if there was gross negligence.  These would include the way the undertaking’s activities were managed or organised by its senior managers, but would also take account of corporate decision-making rules, communication systems, the regulatory environment (such as duties under health and safety legislation).  The proposed Corporate Manslaughter offence would carry an unlimited fine for employers.
2. There should be an offence for senior managers of grossly negligent management causing death.  in such cases, a senior manager, director and any other person who acts in a similar capacity (even if not employed by the undertaking) and who is found to have acted with gross negligence in a way that contributed to the corporate offence could also be prosecuted personally and be liable to imprisonment for up to 12 years and/or an unlimited fine. The Report also recommends that such a person could also face possible disqualification from acting as a manager in an undertaking for up to 15 years.

Corporate Manslaughter / Corporate Homicide came into effect in the UK in April 2008 as a result of the difficulty courts experienced in identifying the so-called 'controlling mind' of a large organisation.

Key Action Points:

• Carry out a Risk Assessment that covers the three key areas of Driving for Work: Driver, Journey & Vehicle
• Produce a Drving for Work Policy, which includes your procedures to manage driver safety.
• Issue a Driver's Handbook
• Ensure all licences are checked at least annually.
• Regularly record maintenance and servicing details.
• Record all training that has been completed.
  
   Related information: DriverFocus/William Fry White Paper "Driving for Work: The Legal Case", Irish Times and Law Reform Commission
  
  
   

Article: Up To 75 Die Each Year in work-Related Crashes
Date: March 1, 2010

Up to one third of all road collisions involve drivers who are using their vehicle for work. This means that around 75 people die in work related road crashes in Ireland each year.

The figure was revealed today Monday 1st March at the start of a road safety campaign, from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), which is designed to make employers aware of their responsibility to ensure the safety of their staff on the roads.

The campaign, which is being backed by a national radio advert, is asking employers to use the RSA’s and HSA’s ‘Driving for Work Guidelines’ to assist in implementing safe driving policies in the workplace.

The guidelines, published in CD Rom format are available free of charge here.

According to Noel Brett, CEO, Road Safety Authority, “The driving for work guidelines will assist employers manage their staff’s road safety. It provides an overview of legislation, how to carry out risk assessments and highlights the significant benefits for businesses and the wider community when work related road safety is managed effectively.”

“Managing staff safety, while driving for work, makes good business sense, especially in the current economic climate as it protects staff and business profits. For example, for every €1 claimed on insurance, arising from work related road incidents, companies may have to pay a further €8 to €36 for uninsured losses.” He said.

Martin O’Halloran, CEO, Health and Safety Authority, said, “All employers are required by health and safety laws to put proper measures in place to protect the safety of all their employees. Particularly concerning is that 42% of Irish businesses have no driving for work policy as part of their health and safety management system. A 2008 Health and Safety Authority survey of businesses also found that there was a lack of awareness of their duties to manage work related driving activities.”

He added that, “As an employer, you should give your employees proper information and training to protect their safety, health and welfare. This duty extends to employees who drive for work. Not only will a proactive approach help to protect your workforce, it may also save your business significant amounts of money.”
 
Vehicles are the biggest cause of work related deaths and a significant contributor to work related injuries. Studies show that people who drive company cars have between 30% and 40% more collisions than ordinary drivers and this risk increases for those who drive more than 40,000 kms a year.

Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 an employer has a duty to protect the health and safety of staff who drive for work.

Driving for work includes any person who drives on a road as part of their work (not including commuting) either in a company vehicle or their own vehicle, receiving an allowance from their employer for miles driven.

Article: Distractions, Alcohol & Speeding Are Top Risks
Date: 16 September 2010

In March this year, the National Safety Council (NSC) in the USA released a white paper to explain the limitations of the human brain as it pertains to multitasking.  The paper is entitled Understanding the Distracted Brain: Why Driving While Using Hands-free mobile Phones is Risky Behaviour.

The white paper does an excellent job of summarising and explaining the research findings from over 30 studies that have examined the cognitive distractions associated with conversing on a hands-free mobile phone while driving.

While many people understand the increased crash risks caused by drivers texting while driving, the lack of understanding about the dangers of hands-free phones remains a challenge.

Using a mobile phone, hands-free or handheld, requires the brain to multitask – a process it is incapable of doing safely while driving.

Among other things, the report examines

1.Why drivers miss important driving cues.
2.What happens when people switch attention between tasks.
3.How the brain handles multi-tasking.
4.How mobile phones differ from talking to passengers of listening to music while driving

Here are some of the key conclusions of the report
» Distractions now join alcohol and speeding as leading factors in fatal and serious injury crashes.
» Hands-free devices offer no safety benefit when driving.
» Hands-free devices do not eliminate cognitive distraction.
» Driving while talking on mobile phones – handheld and hands-free – increase risk of injury and property crashes fourfold.
» Research evidence is compelling when studies of varying research designs are conducted in different cultures and driving environments and have similar results.
» Drivers believe their own crash risk is lower than other drivers.

The white paper concludes with possible prevention steps.  At this point there does not appear to be a safe way to talk or text while driving.
(Source: http://www.nsc.org/safety_road/Distracted_Driving/Documents/Dstrct_Drvng_White_Paper_Fnl(5-25-10).pdf)

ETSC - EU Transport Ministers Discuss Road Safety at Work

24 June 2010

Work-related road safety is an emerging source of concern throughout Europe, which needs renewed commitment from all actors involved. It is estimated that in the EU-15, 39% fatal
work accidents are road traffic accidents, and this number would even be considerably higher should accidents while commuting to and from work be included. Using the roads is
a necessary part of everyone’s daily business, very often and increasingly for work-related purposes. It is therefore unacceptable that an ordinary activity leads to an excessively high
level of injury and death. It is extremely important to raise awareness about the role that governments and employers can take in developing new initiatives to address this situation.

At an EU level the European Commission should integrate specific measures focussing on reducing death and injury whilst driving for work in the next Community Health and Safety
at Work Strategy due 2013 and the next Road Safety Action Programme due this July 2010.  The EU should also ensure that employers are implementing the Directive 89/391/EEC to
improve health and safety of workers by including risk of using a vehicle for work, both onsite and off-site, as part of their work risk assessments.

Source: http://www.etsc.eu/documents/06.24%20-%20Transport%20Ministers%20to%20discuss%20Work%20Related%20Road%20Safety.pdf

Article: Time to Review Your Alcohol Policy
Date: Dec 18, 2009 

Friday October 30th saw the publication of the Road Traffic Bill 2009. Minister for Transport, Mr Noel Dempsey announced plans to lower the drink drive limit in Ireland by the end of 2009. Under the proposals, there will also be a separate lower limit for those driving for work and learner drivers

Currently only Ireland, Britain and Malta have a limit of 80mg alcohol per 100ml blood. When the new measures are brought into law, Ireland will have cut this to 50mg, with a lower, 20mg limit of 20mg for learner drivers and certain people who drive for work.
All other European countries have limits of 50mg or lower. In the wake of this announcement, the UK Road safety charity Brake has called "on the UK Government to follow the example of our Irish neighbours by lowering the drink-drive limit and stepping up enforcement of the law".

Alcohol could be a contributory factor in 21% of fatal road crashes in Ireland that happen between 6am and 12 noon. If an employee has been drinking the night before the only cure is time. One study in the UK found that 51% of drivers had unintentionally drink driven. With the 20mg/50mg levels coming into effect here, the chances of some employees being over-the-limit is very significant.

While drivers have a clear responsibility to drive both legally and safely, employers too should remember their duty-of-care reponsibilities and take reasonable, practicable steps to promote safe driving for work. Steps can include raising awareness and testing drivers.

Further information: www.drinkdriving.ie or contact us.

Some Key Drink driving Facts:
* Any alcohol impairs driving and increases the risk of collision.
* At half the current limit, drivers are twice as likely to be involved in a collision. At the current limit (0.08g/dL) drivers are six times more likely to have a collision.
* About three out of every four drivers – an
increasing majority – are in favour of the
introduction of a lower drink driving limit and
two thirds now support a zero limit for all
drivers.
* Alcohol is twice as potent when you are a tired
driver.
* Alcohol is estimated to be a contributory factor
in 1 in 3 fatal collisions.
* In 1 in 4 fatal crashes, the driver had
consumed alcohol
* 1 in 5 drivers killed on our roads, where alcohol was present, were under the legal limit when they died.

Article: Distracted Driving: should Talking, Texting be banned?
Date: August 24, 2009

David Strayer, a psychology professor at the University of Utah, estimates that only 2% of people are able to safely multitask while driving.  Strayer, who for more than a decade has been studying the effects driving and cell-phone use have on the brain, says those 2% are probably the same people who would be really good fighter pilots. Rarities. Some of Strayer's other findings show that most drivers tend to stare straight ahead while using a cell phone and are less influenced by peripheral vision. In other words, "cell phones," he says, "make you blind to your own bad driving."

Source: Time Magazine http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1916291,00.html

Article: RSA & HSA Issue Guidance for Employers on Managing 'Driving for Work'
Date: June 15, 2009

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and Health & Safety Authority (HSA) have today jointly published an excellent booklet designed to help employers in Ireland, manage Driving for Work.

Highlighting the duty-of-care and other key reasons why employers need to address work-related road safety (WRRS), the Guidance also includes relevant checklists, statistics and examples of current best-practice. 

DriverFocus contributed to this milestone document which will increase much-needed awareness of the risks associated with at-work driving and help employers take simple proactive steps that will make our roads safer, demonstrate auditable compliance and manage costs.

According to Noel Brett, CEO, Road Safety Authority, “The development of driving for work guidelines, a requirement in the Government’s Road Safety Strategy, will assist employers manage their staff’s road safety. It provides an overview of legislation, how to carry out risk assessments and highlights the significant benefits for businesses and the wider community when work related road safety is managed effectively.”

“Managing staff safety, while driving for work, makes good business sense, especially in the current economic climate as it protects staff and business profits. For example, for every €1 claimed on insurance, arising from work related road incidents, companies may have to pay a further €8 to €36 for uninsured losses.” He said.

 

Driving for Work – A Guide for Employers includes sections on:
- Relevant Road Safety Law
- Financial implications of not managing Driving for Work
- Why manage Driving for Work?
- How to manage Driving for Work
- Assessing risks on the road
- Evaluating the risks and
- Benefits for the Community 

Following the joint RSA/HSA 'Road Safety at Work' Conference in Dublin Castle today, DriverFocus is offering a free, 15-minute director-level post-conference briefing on key actions that employers are expected to take.  To find out more, simply contact us.