By achieving a crash reduction of almost a third, ALD Automotive has become a Driving for Better Business champion.
The company, which manages a UK-wide fleet of over 52,000 company cars and vans, has done this by implementing a wide-range of comprehensive safe driving policies and created a menu-driven suite of risk management services that enables customers to implement similar best practice at-work driving safety solutions.
ALD Automotive managing director Keith Allen said, “Proactive management of work-related road risk is a key element of risk mitigation with regard to corporate manslaughter and the effective delivery of our duty of care to both our employees and others affected by our work activities.
“The promotion of a safe driving culture has long been valued within ALD Automotive and is a principle we promote both internally and externally. Becoming a Driving for Better Business champion is another opportunity for us to promote this message to a wider audience and for us to learn from others who are innovative in this area and to continually improve our knowledge and processes in this arena.”
Campaign director Caroline Scurr said, “Businesses that rely on the expertise of contract hire and leasing companies for fleet advice expect them to already be at the forefront of best practice.
“Given ALD Automotive’s standing as one of the UK’s largest providers of company cars and vans we are delighted that the company is promoting a zero-harm attitude to at-work driving both internally and externally.”
Through a comprehensive safe driving policy that includes online driver risk assessments, driving licence checks, a ban on mobile phone use, driver health assessments, monitoring of employee accidents with post-crash interviews carried out, targeted individual guidance and driver training, ALD Automotive has significantly reduced its incident rate.
In the last five years, the company’s accident rate has been cut from 64% to 39% and is largely composed of parking and maneuvering incidents.
Mr Allen concluded, “As a result of our experience both internally and through the provision of DriveSafe to our customers we are acutely aware of the ever present dangers involved in work-related driving. We must be vigilant and rigorous in our application of our occupational road risk policy and this must be continually updated in line with new research and legislation. Whilst our accident rate is low we have experienced incidents both internally and externally which highlight, vividly, that policy must be followed if we are to avoid a serious injury or fatality in the future.”
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