A report released by Brake, the road safety charity, and Licence Bureau, has found employers whose staff drive for work could do more to train and educate them about the potentially fatal consequences of speeding.
The Brake and Licence Bureau report found:
* Two in five organisations lack a speed policy, 65% of companies with a speed policy don’t have one that applies to external contractors. A third of speed policies don’t apply to senior management.
* Few companies are taking advantage of the full range of educational and training opportunities open to them, with only two in five asking questions relating to speed at recruitment or training during induction, and only three in ten providing additional training for drivers caught speeding
* Only a quarter of companies get involved with promoting speed awareness in their local communities, for example by supporting local training or education on speed.
Excessive speed – either breaking the speed limit or driving too fast for the conditions – is listed by the police in 27% of fatal crashes in the UK in 2013[1]. This is arguably a gross underestimation, because whether or not a vehicle is judged to have been speeding or going too fast for conditions, the fact it was involved in a collision means it was going too fast to have stopped in time. Slower speeds make our communities safer: on average, a 1% reduction in mean speeds reduce the crash rate by 5%[2]. If a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle, the most important factor determining their injuries is the speed the vehicle is going at[3].
Brake is urging all employers with staff who drive for work – whether they have a fleet of commercial vehicles, company cars, or staff driving their own vehicles on company time – to implement policies and procedures to ensure their drivers are fully aware of the dangers of speeding.
Employers can access Brake’s expert guidance by ordering a copy of the report, which includes advice for companies, and becoming a member of Brake Professional here.
