Not sure what is a sensible driving policy for your business? The Department for Transport (DFT) has set up a new website which contains practical guidance to help businesses comply with their legal obligations. A business must have a safety policy document if it employs five or more employees. The DFT sets out recommendations for the contents of the policy and reports some statistics, some of which are disturbing:

• About a quarter of all vehicle miles travelled annually on Britain’s roads are for work purposes (excluding commuting).
• There are an estimated three million company cars on the roads and roughly one in three will be involved in an accident each year.
• Company drivers who drive more than 80% of their annual mileage on work related journeys have more than 50% more injury accidents than similar drivers who do no work related mileage.
• The annual risk of dying in a road accident while driving for business reasons is significantly greater than the risk of dying as a result of all other workplace accidents.
• Every week around 200 road deaths and serious injuries involve someone at work.
• About 300 people are killed each year as a result of drivers falling asleep at the wheel. About four in ten tiredness-related crashes involve someone driving a commercial vehicle.
• Work-related road accidents are the biggest cause of work-related accidental death. Between 800 and 1000 people are killed annually in work-related road traffic accidents compared to approximately 250 fatalities due to accidents notified annually under the Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations.
• Business drivers have collision rates that are 30 to 40% higher than those of private drivers.

Internet link: DFT website