Welsh companies will be encouraged to increase their focus on at-work driving safety at a major Driving for Better Business event being in held in conjunction with South Wales Police and Professional Driver Services (PDS).

Two of Britain’s largest employers that are in the vanguard of promoting occupational road risk management will be among the speakers at the event.

British Telecom and Tesco.com, which are both long-established business champion members of the government-backed Driving for Better Business campaign, which is managed by RoadSafe, will be ensouraging Welsh fleets to act to safeguard the safety of their drivers.

The event will be held on September 29 at the South Wales Police Driver Training Unit in Cardiff.

Almost 100 businesses based in Wales are expected to be represented.

Apart from hearing the actions taken by both British Telecom and Tesco.com to improve employee safety when driving and reduce their risk exposure, delegates will also hear presentations from:

• Caroline Scurr, director of the Driving for Better Business Campaign
• Nick Croft assistant chief constable and director of the training department for South Wales Police
• Trevor Wedge, chief examiner of the Driving Standards Agency
• Lisa Dorn, head of traffic research at Cranfield University
• and Hazel Padmore, from leading law firm Weightmans.

There are an estimated up to 200 road deaths and serious injuries a week resulting from crashes involving at work drivers, and more employees are killed and seriously injured on Britain’s roads while driving on behalf of their employer than in any other work-related activity.

Scurr said: “Due to the campaign and the promotion of the benefits of occupational road risk management by the almost 50 business champion employers from across the public and private sectors, an increasing number of organisations are realising that pro-actively managing at-work driving is good for their staff and for their organisation.

“Our business champions such as British Telecom and Teco.com can prove that reducing the number of crashes involving at work drivers saves thousands and, in the case of large fleets, millions of pounds. In addition, cutting the carnage improves business efficiency, employee welfare and the image of an organisation.

“The result is complete legal compliance and a measurable contribution to business efficiency with savings that go straight to the bottom line as a result of putting in place a range of interventions. We are delighted to be working with both PDS and South Wales Police to further promote the benefits of at-work driving safety to employees in Wales.”

Rebecca Ashton, of Vale of Glamorgan-based PDS, said, “The event aims to bring together employers, academics and road safety experts to encourage more employers in Wales to address the legal, moral and financial reasons to manage work-related road safety with the business benefits highlighted through the two case studies.”

As well as being the leading driver training organisation in Wales, PDS also provides fleet management consultancy. The company delivers driver alertness and speed awareness courses under the umbrella of the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS), and is an approved supplier to South Wales Police, Gwent Police and the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary. The company is also a DSA-approved National Fleet Diploma Training Organisation.

Any business representatives wishing to attend the event being held at the South Wales Police Driver Training Unit, Edward House, Dowlais Road, Ocean Way, Cardiff CF24 5TW starting at 10.30am on September 29 should contact Rebecca Ashton at PDS on 0871 200 2217 or email Rebecca.ashton@pdsuk.co.uk