NEW ALD AUTOMOTIVE SURVEY FINDINGS
16 April 2006 - ALD Automotive

COMPANIES FAIL TO LEARN SAFETY LESSON FROM CRASH DATA, REVEALS NEW ALD AUTOMOTIVE SURVEY

The majority of companies are failing to complete post-crash investigations and put in place a range of preventative accident measures.

A ‘health check’ survey by ALD Automotive, one of the UK’s leading contract hire and leasing companies with 45,000 vehicles on its fleet, revealed that whilst over 130 of the 161 businesses responding said their company health and safety policy covered at-work driving issues there were glaring gaps in many strategies.

Risk management experts say that undertaking remedial action following a crash involving an employee is one of the most important procedures to prevent similar future occurrences.

However, the online survey of customers and prospects, collectively operating a total of 40,000 vehicles, reveals a host of corporate failings in post-crash actions.

Conducted to coincide with the launch of DriveSafe, ALD Automotive’s management initiative for all employees who drive on business, the survey discovered that 141 companies (88%) kept details and reviewed accident records but 20 organisations didn’t or were unsure whether they did.

However, while the overwhelming majority of companies have accident data they fail to utilise the information to their advantage. For example:

· Whilst 53% of companies reviewed accidents by type and fault to establish trends, over 40% of companies (66) didn’t, with 6% (nine companies) not knowing whether they did.

· 58% of companies (93) said line managers did not conduct post accident interviews with drivers, with one-third carrying them out and the remainder unsure.

· And a similar number of companies, 56% (90), said they did not have any strategy in place to prevent the reoccurrence of common accidents; but 38% said they did with 6% unsure.

Peak Performance, ALD Automotive’s exclusive risk management partner, runs a specific post-crash interview workshop to provide fleet and health and safety managers with the necessary knowledge and skills to carry out effective post-accident interviews with staff who have been involved in road traffic accidents.

The workshop covers the necessary techniques and procedures needed to make the interviews as effective as possible and looks at a host of issues including the driver, the third party involved, the road and weather conditions, the vehicle and the job task. To meet current health and safety requirements, it produces an auditable record of outcomes and actions taken as a result of the accident.

James Sutherland, managing director of Peak Performance, said: ‘Post-collision interviews are a key element in managing work-related road safety and are a demonstration of corporate and social responsibility, as well as producing a clear audit trail of actions taken in line with the latest health and safety guidelines. This workshop provides managers with the ammunition to compel drivers to take responsibility for their actions and to make a commitment that they will not re-occur.’

ALD Automotive marketing director David Yates said: ‘The majority of companies have put in place an at-work driving health and safety strategy, however it is clear that many of those organisations need to be more pro-active to obtain maximum benefits.

‘Post-accident investigation is a vital part of any comprehensive corporate occupational road risk strategy. By reducing the number of work-related crashes, companies will see a number of major spin-off benefits. These include fewer days lost to injury, a reduced risk of work-related ill-health, less need for investigation and paperwork, less lost time due to work rescheduling, fewer vehicles off the road for repair and fewer missed orders and business opportunities so there is a reduced risk of losing the goodwill of
customers.’

He added: ‘We are heartened that so many companies record accident details, but it is clear from our ‘health check’ survey that the vast majority of businesses are not using the information to their advantage.

‘Trend analysis coupled with post-crash interviews of employees and the dissemination of conclusions with recommended actions company-wide would significantly assist in a reduction in at-work accidents.

‘The in depth analysis may highlight that a number of drivers are involved in similar accidents and this trend could be halted through a series of preventative measures, such as driver training.’

DriveSafe is designed to ‘safeguard your employees; safeguard your business; and safeguard your future’ and to address the risks associated with employees who drive both company cars and their own vehicles on work-related journeys.

The initiative gives companies and their employees access to services from a range of best-in-class fleet providers, which, as well as Peak Performance, include: tyre safety checks in conjunction with Kwik-Fit Fleet; driver licence checking in association with the Licence Bureau; and insurance cover for privately-owned vehicles driven on business through a panel of the UK’s largest insurance companies.

www.aldautomotive.com

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