Companies are now expected to evaluate and manage work-related road safety. They should look at their health and safety systems and consider whether they adequately cover this area of risk. They need to address policies, responsibilities, organisation etc which should all be addressed in the company's Handbook for Drivers.

Key factors for consideration should be as follows:

The drivers should have the relevant driving experience and a current licence for the category of vehicle. They should understand the legal requirements in duty of care with regard to the vehicle. They should also comply to company policy on work related road safety ie undergo relevant training sessions (if required), be familiar with all safety equipment and controls and understand the effects of electronically controlled safety equipment, if fitted.

The vehicle must be fit for purpose, consideration must be given to which vehicle is best for driving, public health and safety. Special attention must be given where vehicles are privately owned and are used for work purposes eg are they adequately insured for business use, properly maintained, contents secured and have a valid tax and MOT certificate.

The question needs to be asked "is the journey necessary?" Is there another form of travelling that would be safer? Could conference calling be an alternative? For controlling risk, motorways should be used as they are the safest roads. Route planning should be considered to make for a safe and less stressful journey and should take into account regular breaks if the driving time exceeds two hours. Journeys should comply to tacograph rules where necessary.

For us to understand where the company's risk is, from which to formulate a solution, it is imperative for us to work closely with the client's major stakeholders ie the leasing company, insurance company, accident management company etc. The data that is collected from these service providers, on behalf of the client, enables us to determine trends, causation factors and proportion of blame, from which to create effective training solutions.