ROAD safety and business groups throughout the country have joined forces in a major bid to improve fleet safety, amid fears that Government attempts to deal with the problem could be shelved.

The new Occupational Road Safety Alliance represents organisations from all areas of road safety and industry.

Its focus will be the work of the Work-related Road Safety Task Group, which last year presented 18 recommendations to improve fleet safety to Government.

As Fleet News went to press, the Health and Safety Commission was due to meet on Tuesday to consider proposals on how to react to the report and it will decide whether to take the proposals to a meeting with ministers at the end of the month, or send them back for further work. While the Government considers its reaction to the report, Richard Dykes, who chaired the WRRSTG, told members of the alliance during a meeting to agree its formation last week that industry should take up the challenge itself.

Dykes said: 'Having done the work of the task group, my interest now is in ensuring something happens.

'There is a risk that, with a number of Government reports having been put on the shelves that this subject could just prove too difficult. But I believe there is a case for something to be done.

'What we are hoping to do is get a real sense from people of what options there are to take this report and do something about it.'

During the meeting, members heard there were a number of vital areas that needed to be investigated, particularly the accuracy of figures at the centre of the report.

Members agreed that more data was needed to verify the exact nature of the estimated 1,000 at-work road deaths per year and the circumstances behind the crashes.

Following the inaugural meeting, a steering group was formed and will discuss the future of the alliance at a later event, including establishing a website, networking and events.