DRIVING FOR WORK: BRAKE CALLS FOR ACTION
Research finds ‘at work drivers’ are taking excessive risks
Significant numbers of people who drive for work are putting lives at risk by texting, speeding and grooming at the wheel, according to research by Brake and Direct Line released on 4 January 2013. The headline findings are that:
- 31% at work drivers report texting whilst driving;
- 17% undertake ‘grooming’ or shaving at the wheel; and
- 76% speed at more than 35mph in built up areas.
The survey revealed that people driving for business purposes are more likely than the general driving population to act in this way.
Brake and Direct Line conducted two surveys, one of 532 at-work drivers into distractions while driving, and one of 703 at-work drivers into speed. The survey was carried out by Brake volunteers, at locations across the UK.
Julie Townsend, Brake deputy chief executive, said:
“It is appalling so many people who drive in a professional capacity are taking such horrendous and unnecessary risks, doing things we all know are unbelievably dangerous behind the wheel. People who drive as part of their job should be taking great care to stay within the law and not put people in danger. According to these results, at-work drivers are more likely to take many deadly risks than other drivers.
We are urging all employers to ensure they have comprehensive safe driving policies in place and that staff know the importance of not speeding or driving distracted. We are also calling on anyone who drives for work to make a commitment to stay within speed limits, stay off the phone, and focused on the critical task at hand.”
Brake stress that employers must minimise risks arising from driving on company time including commercial vehicles, company cars, own car driven to work appointments etc. and points out that organisations who manage road risk effectively often see big reductions in insurance costs and benefits to staff morale.
The Brake Fleet Safety Forum provides guidance, support and case studies to help companies ensure the safety of their vehicles and drivers.
Recommendations for government action
Brake is calling on the government to:
- Policy – encourage companies to implement a safe driving policy which includes: commitment to plan all journeys carefully, including the need to make the journey in the first place; ban on distractions while driving; and careful monitoring of driver welfare;
- Engagement – fund work to engage and advise employers on managing road risk, such as that conducted through Brake’s Fleet Safety Forum;
- Reporting – require all companies to report, record and analyse crashes, including near-misses, in order to manage their road risk effectively. RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) should cover at-work drivers as well as on-site employees;
- HSE Investigation – investigate all fatal and serious injury crashes involving someone driving for work through HSE;
- Publicity – step up publicity campaigns to warn at-work drivers and fleet managers of specific risks associated with at-work driving and provide advice on how to manage and cut crashes;
- Enforcement – increase numbers of traffic police and front-line enforcement staff working for the Vehicle & Operator Services Agency (VOSA), to enable adequate levels of enforcement checks on drivers and vehicles;
- Penalties – introduce tougher penalties against any company flouting maintenance, driver hours or licensing rules, or putting pressure on its drivers to break the law and drive dangerously.
Latest Construction Health and Safety News
CONSTRUCTION SAFETY NEWS – END OF NEW CONTENT
The addition of content on this website ceased on 17th April 2020.
Material posted before this date can be found by clicking on our SEARCH NEWS DATABASE function.
CDM REGULATIONS 2015: GUIDES AND TEMPLATES
Summary of our advice and tools to aid CDM 2015 compliance
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 21st April 2020HSE WARN OF NEED FOR RPE FACE FIT TEST AND CHECK
Incorrectly fitted RPE will not protect the wearer from dangers to health
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 16th April 2020CORONA VIRUS: LATEST SITE OPERATING PROCEDURES
Industry Bodies publish risk management guidance Version 3
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 15th April 2020TOWER CRANE OUT OF SERVICE SAFETY ALERT
Important advice from Construction Plant-hire Association and HSE
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 30th March 2020HSE PLAN AND CONSTRUCTION PRIORITIES 2020/21
Appointed CDM 2015 Principal Designers remain focus of HSE inspections
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 30th March 2020COVID-19 ADVICE & GUIDANCE FOR CONSTRUCTION
BuildUK support industry with advice, guidance and information
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 30th March 2020HSE TARGETING WELDING FUME CANCER RISK
Inspections to enforce improved controls required by new risk evidence
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 24th February 2020HSE TO OVERSEE NEW BUILDING SAFETY REGIME
Government to deliver biggest change in building safety for a generation
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 21st January 2020FESTIVE GREETINGS TO ALL OUR READERS
Read the rest of this article »
SELECTED NEWS POSTED RECENTLY ON TWITTER
Links to other construction health and safety related news reports
HSE LOOK TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES FOR CDM SUPPORT
Council Inspectors focus on CDM client duties – asbestos, fragility and RCS
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 14th November 2019HSE WELDING FUME REVISED GUIDANCE PUBLISHED
New research evidence on cancer link prompts revision on welding fume
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 14th November 2019STRUCTURAL SAFETY BODY LATEST NEWSLETTER
CROSS publishes reports and expert comment on a range of issues
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 18th October 2019HSE RISK REDUCTION THROUGH DESIGN AWARD
Regulator seeks to promote hazard avoidance and risk minimisation
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 18th October 2019HSE START PROJECT HEALTH RISK INTERVENTIONS
Regulator set to check health risks assessed and controls in place
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 30th September 2019AIF NATIONAL WORKING AT HEIGHT CONFERENCE
HSE Construction Head to speak at Access Industry Forum conference
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 23rd September 2019NEW HSE HAVS CALCULATOR TO HELP CONTROL RISK
New calculator includes “cautious estimates” for common tools
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 23rd September 2019IMPROVING CDM DESIGNER HAZARD AWARENESS
Research explores power of “multi-media digital tool” for design hazards
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 27th August 2019DEMOLITION FEDERATION ON RECENT INCIDENTS
NFDC ‘statement of awareness’ follows unplanned collapses
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 27th August 2019RAISING COMPETENCE AND MAKING BUILDINGS SAFER
Life-safety-critical disciplines urged to act on Interim Report
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 27th August 2019BUILDING WORKS COMPROMISED GAS SAFETY
Company and director fined after work created risk to residents
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 27th August 2019HSE SPEAK AT ACCESS INDUSTRY CONFERENCE 2019
AIF National Working at Height Conference November 2019
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 6th August 2019STRUCTURAL SAFETY BODY LATEST NEWSLETTER
CROSS publishes reports and expert comment on a range of issues
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 23rd July 2019