“You need to ring the changes to keep the messages fresh and this might involve a mixture of practical training, workshops or online modules, interspersed with emailed driver safety messages, vehicle safety spot checks and maybe even a participative driving event,” Hammond says.

Balfour Beatty Fleet Services’ risk management programme, for example, includes workshops, on-the-road training and a wide range of simulator courses, as well as Zero Harm days, where staff get together to discuss safe driving.

Reward drivers

One way to encourage staff to adhere to the safety message is to reward incident-free drivers, according to Hill.

Popular driver incentives include a stay at a luxury hotel or their choice of rental car for the weekend.

Some companies put in place ‘driver of the year’ competitions, which typically culminate in a track day with a prize for the top scorers.

Both BT and Balfour Beatty Fleet Services are looking at how telematics data might be used as part of an incentive programme for drivers.

Communicate with drivers

“Communication is vital if a safe driving culture is to be achieved,” Blacklock says. If the accident rate has reached a plateau it may be time to put in place a new communications plan targeted at drivers.

Blacklock suggests that companies could consider discussing an employee’s driving record as part of their annual appraisal.

“Explain to employees that accidents cost the business money – repair costs, failure to meet customer response times, loss of appointments, etc. – and if they adopt a more responsible, safe driving style on the road it will benefit them and the wider business,” he says.

Importance of benchmarking

Murray suggests that gap analysis is good for checking progress and areas of concern and, if used correctly, can feed into benchmarking.

Vauxhall, for example, got its insurer Zurich to carry out a fleet audit gap analysis, comparing its performance in areas such as fleet safety policy, journey planning and driver well being to other fleets.

Murray’s Fleet Safety Benchmarking project allows companies to either complete a 10-question gap analysis review or 30-question fleet health check.

The questionnaires are based on Department for Transport research and provide a benchmark against 900-plus organisations.

The Fleet Safety Benchmarking forum allows fleets using Virtual Risk Manager to meet and share best practice as well as data.