FLEETS are being urged to support Road Safety Week, which begins on Monday, after a survey revealed they are dangerously complacent about at-work driver safety. Nearly half of fleet operators have not introduced any measures to make drivers more aware of safety issues, the ARVAL PHH Accident Management study found.

The survey of 300 fleet operators, taken exclusively for Fleet News, discovered 40% had done nothing to warn drivers of the dangers of speeding, using mobile phones and road rage. The same number said they were not planning to do anything about it in the next year.

And 38% of fleet operators surveyed had not investigated their duty of care to drivers, despite repeated warnings they could be held liable for incidents occurring out on the road.

Nigel Rolfe, head of sales and marketing for ARVAL PHH Accident Management, said fleets should rethink their approach, and Road Safety Week, which runs from September 23-29, was the perfect opportunity. He said: 'I am surprised at the apparent complacency our survey reveals.

'It is astonishing that so many fleets have not done anything to reduce driver risk, and that so many have no plans to do so over the next 12 months.'

The survey found widespread ignorance of the 18 recommendations of the Work-related Road Safety Task Group's report published last year, aimed at improving the occupational road safety.

And despite 88% of fleet decision-makers agreeing that using a mobile phone was at the least, dangerous, 66% did not want to bring in a total ban on phones while driving. Rolfe added: Fleets which have adopted a safety culture have seen many benefits – financial environmental, legal and social.'

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    Fleet safety flaws

  • 38% had not investigated corporate liability implications
  • 40% had not introduced any measures to improve safety
  • 88% said that using a mobile phone while driving was dangerous or 'very dangerous'
  • 66% did not advocate a total ban on mobile phone use while driving
  • 40% were not planning to introduce safety initiatives in the next 12 months
  • 61% do not record individual accident information
  • 96% considered driver fatigue as 'dangerous' or 'very dangerous', but only two firms said they limited driver hours.
    Source: ARVAL PHH Accident Management