Driving Safely to Protect Employees and Organisations
Long before Driving Safety was part of my job, I was given my first company vehicle, a small red van passed down from one of the company delivery drivers. The van was uncomfortable to drive, no safety instructions were provided, no checks were made on my driving licence and certainly no risk assessment was carried out, although this was prior to the advent of the Management Regulations.
Put this in contrast with the experience of driving my last company vehicle, which was comfortable, driver safety training and safety handbook were provided, telematics were installed and my driving licence details were checked all before I was given the keys. How times have changed for the better!
The Stakes Are High
Whether you're commuting to the office, traveling between client meetings, or making deliveries, driving for work purposes carries unique responsibilities and risks. Workplace related vehicle accidents not only threaten employee safety but can also result in significant costs, legal liabilities, and operational disruptions for employers. Understanding and implementing good driving safety practices is essential for protecting both workers and organisations.
Work related driving accidents account for a substantial portion of workplace fatalities. According to safety data studies, motor vehicle crashes are among the leading causes of occupational deaths, with thousands of workers killed and hundreds of thousands injured in vehicle-related incidents each year. These accidents can occur during regular commutes, when using personal vehicles for business purposes as well as driving company vehicles.
Many organisations now have driving safety processes in place with the aim of addressing the HSE guidance for employers on managing health and safety risks to workers who drive vehicles on the road as part of their work activity. The following is a brief summary of what organisations can do to manage driving safety.
Make sure drivers are safe
When conducting driving risk assessments and allocating work involving driving, employers must thoroughly evaluate workers' health and safety capabilities across multiple dimensions. This assessment should consider workers' experience levels, attitudes, maturity, driving records, and physical fitness, as well as potential barriers such as language difficulties, age related limitations, sensory impairments, and mental or general health issues.
Special attention must be paid to vulnerable workers, including young employees, newcomers to jobs or tasks, and inexperienced drivers, ensuring that the required skills and expertise for safe job performance are properly matched to worker capabilities. Additionally, employers should check insurances cover driving for business, verify that all driving offences are disclosed, and confirm via DVLA / Gov.uk that licenses and MOTs remain current and legal.
Looking after workers health
Employers must ensure workers are medically fit to drive by verifying they hold required medical certificates and meet Highway Code and DVLA health standards, including eyesight requirements, while encouraging workers to report health concerns.
Workers should understand the serious dangers of fatigue, which reduces reaction time, vigilance, and decision-making ability, particularly during long monotonous journeys, between 2-6am or 2-4pm, after eating, or following extended work shifts especially night shifts.
Employers have a legal obligation to assess and manage work-related stress through risk assessments, recognising that while stress isn't an illness itself, it can lead to health problems that impact both worker wellbeing and business operations. Additionally, ergonomic factors must be considered when purchasing or leasing vehicles to prevent health and safety risks from poor seating positions, with employers providing guidance on proper posture and correct seat adjustment to protect drivers' long-term health.
Driving Safety Legal Standards
Road traffic law enforcement by police and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) places legal duties on operators, transport managers and organisations to maintain vehicles in good mechanical condition, ensure drivers are fit and competent, and guarantee safe transportation of passengers or loads, with specific requirements for HGVs and public service vehicles taking priority over general guidance.
Employers may face potential prosecution for Gross Negligence Manslaughter or under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 if work-related driving incidents result in death and evidence shows the fatality was caused by grossly negligent acts, omissions, or serious management failures constituting a gross breach of duty of care, with HSE conducting targeted inspection programmes in high-risk sectors to monitor compliance with driving-at-work regulations.
Finally, it is illegal to hold and use a hand-held mobile phone or any device that can send or receive data while driving, even when stopped at traffic lights or in traffic. Penalties for using a hand-held device while driving include a £200 fine and six penalty points on a license. While hands-free devices are not an offense, you can still be stopped and prosecuted if the police believe you are not in full control of your vehicle due to distraction.
Summary
Managing driving safety risks is important for employers to demonstrate compliance with their legal duties and to ensure workers are competent, fit to drive, and operating safe vehicles. Work related driving incidents can result in serious injuries or fatalities, leading to potential prosecution under Corporate Manslaughter laws if management failures contribute to deaths. Poor driving safety management can also result in significant business impacts including regulatory enforcement action, financial penalties, insurance costs, and reputational damage, while proper risk assessment and control measures help protect both worker wellbeing and organisational liability in what is inherently one of the most dangerous work activities.
Contact us
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Our team of Global locally based health and safety consultants take pride in keeping health and safety simple.
If you need to call upon our expert assistance, or just for an informal chat, please call our office +44 207 947 9581, or type an enquiry to: https://www.arinite.com/contact-us/.
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