How To Develop A Great On-Road Risk Management Strategy

You can be a Premier League standard Fleet Operator dedicated to providing on the road training to your drivers, but accidents still happen.

When they do, and the spotlight is on your business, you need to ensure that you can demonstrate that your business did absolutely everything possible to minimise the risk.

Implementing an effective risk management strategy is one way your business can help demonstrate statutory obligations to the health and safety of your workforce.

Whether your organisation manages company vehicles or your employees are driving their own cars on business-related journeys, you have to ensure that appropriate measures are in place and that actions are followed up to reduce the dangers to your drivers and other road users.

In the UK, traffic accidents are responsible for a high percentage of injuries (and death) with 25% of road fatalities involving a driver at work. Having a solid risk management strategy could be one of the most important measures you take.

Driver Behaviour and Training

Whilst out on the road, there’s a good chance that your drivers will meet just about every kind of road situation conceivable from the congested city centre with vehicles parked on both sides of the road, to tight country roads with troublesome bends.

Implementing a telematics system, for example, helps to relay information on driver performance, providing management with the confidence to give feedback to drivers. The data provided helps drill down into your drivers’ journey and identify certain behaviors such as harsh braking.

You’re also able to run reports, implement driver scorecards and set performance KPI’s.

Accepting damage of some sort is inevitable, but those who adopt a vigorous risk management strategy, that includes making best use of data see incidents fall.

Staying Compliant

Keeping a fleet legally compliant can stress. even the most chilled fleet operators out. Although your drivers and vehicles may be miles away, the responsibility for them lies with you.

It’s paramount that you know the status of the licences' your staff members hold. This is a vital part of the risk management process, and it should be repeated annually or more frequently for drivers who already have points on their licence.

We always recommend that companies check drivers’ licences before they are employed and that includes agency and part-time workers. The information needs to come from the DVLA to ensure that you’re 100% sure your employees are legal to drive.As a fleet manager, you need to be confident in your defect management system. Is your current system capable of recording and tracking vehicle defects, and then storing details of remedial repairs in an easily accessible audit trail?

As a fleet manager, you need to be confident in your defect management system. Is your current system capable of recording and tracking vehicle defects, and then storing details of remedial repairs in an easily accessible audit trail?

Authorised licence checking service providers can check a driver’s licence for you against the DVLA and DVANI records, giving you confidence that your business remains compliant.

Any vehicle maintenance problems must be rectified straight away. If you find something dangerous (or even just potentially dangerous) the vehicle in question should not be used. It’s not worth putting your business (and others) at risk by allowing your drivers out on the road with potentially dangerous vehicles. Implement procedures such as a daily vehicle inspection checklist before drivers start their day.

It’s not worth putting your business at risk by allowing your drivers out on the road with potentially dangerous vehicles. To help combat this, experts advise that you implement procedures such as a daily vehicle inspection checklist before drivers start their day.

Camera Technology

The past few years have seen a rapid increase of video clips that show poor driver behaviour by road users and the damming situations they can lead to.

In-cab cameras help protect against insurance fraud via so-called ‘crash for cash’ scams, whilst also proving who is on the right (or wrong side of the law). Vehicle cameras will help protect your drivers and business against rising insurance costs.

SmartWitness cameras for example, record the road in front of, alongside, and behind the vehicle. They also record the interior of the vehicle, including driving style and, in the case of a collision, impact force. The price of

The price of installing this technology has dropped, so the economic case for fitting cameras across a fleet has been reinforced.

Fundamentally, a risk management strategy helps ensure a business is doing as much as possible to make sure its drivers are insured, safe and as aware of the dangers whilst out on the road.