Brewer Greene King has become a Driving for Better Business champion after it cut its road crash costs by more than £150,000 in 2006/07.

The Bury St Edmunds-based company has developed an in-house safe driving initiative which saw the number of crashes involving company vehicles fall by 24% in 2006/07, resulting in huge financial savings despite fleet expansion.

Initiatives introduced include a half-day one-to-one workshop and on-road training course, regular driving licence checks, additional training for staff involved in a crash and monthly safe driving campaigns.

Over the past four years more than 500 employees – HGV, LGV and company car drivers, as well as occasional pool car drivers and grey fleet drivers – have completed individual three-hour driving assessments with the company’s driving safety adviser, Paul Blackman.

“Highlighting the dangers of work-related road risk and recognising the financial costs of crashes has enabled Greene King to improve profitability and contribute to the safety of staff by making them more risk aware,” said Mr Blackman.

Driving for Better Business is a government-backed campaign which encourages companies to implement best practice occupational road risk management programmes.

* M&G Vehicle Hire, a subsidiary of Northgate, has become the latest rental firm to become a business champion under the scheme.

The firm will support the programme by presenting views on the importance of the proper management of driving for work at conferences and seminars.