When you drive it is your responsibility to make sure your car is in the best shape possible.  Accidents usually happen due to human error, but sometimes they are caused by a malfunction in your vehicle.  It is imperative that you maintain your vehicle so that you can avoid any equipment malfunctions that could inadvertently cause an accident.  Vehicle manufacturers are obliged to make sure the automobiles they make meet at least the minimum standards set out by the law.  This is one of the reasons why they are constantly making improvements to their product to make them easy and safe to drive, including safety measures such as airbags and safety belts.

Brake systems are highly advanced dual circuit systems.  This keeps a complete brake failure from happening, but faulty brakes could keep a vehicle from slowing down or stopping properly.  Most vehicles are made with disc brakes and many have systems that keep them from the locking during an emergency.  Regardless of the type of transmission your car has, it should always hold the road.  Front wheel and rear wheel drive vehicles both handle differently on varied terrain, as does 4-wheel drive.  Know how your vehicle is supposed to handle before getting behind the wheel.

The inside of the vehicle is just as important.  Always make sure your seat is set so that you can easily reach the controls, see the road ahead, and are comfortable while driving.  Always use your safety restraints and make sure that any child that is traveling with you is also properly restrained, in a child safety seat if applicable, and away from air bags.  If your air bags do deploy due to an accident, make sure you have it replaced by a licensed technician.

Many people drive for a living, whether they are a courier for a firm or the driver of a large truck.  It has been estimated that close to one third of the traffic accidents that occur on the roads in the United Kingdom involve someone who is driving as part of their job.  With close to eight hundred collisions a year, and up to one thousand deaths because of it, job related driving is one of the riskiest activities a person could engage in while in employment.  In 2003, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced that all companies with five or more employees will be heavily investigated if any of their workers are involved in a motor accident.  Employers who cannot provide proof of adequate procedures and polices that are put in place by the company could risk prosecution and imprisonment.

According to information released by the HSE, employers, managers, or supervisors that have staff that drive a vehicle for their job are responsible for ensuring that their employees understand road safety as it pertains to their job.  The employers must make sure the vehicles are in a safe working condition and complying with all laws.  They are also required to make sure their employees’ safety and the safety of others are not put at risk.  They must manage all health and safety issues effectively, and review, monitor, and assess how the policies and procedures are being followed.

The law is designed to protect any staff member who needs to drive as part of their everyday job.  This would include driving short distances for off-site meetings, site visits, and business travel, say to another city.  Both company and privately owned vehicles are covered.  By having an occupational road-risk management program in place, companies can do their part to reduce the number of serious accidents and fatalities.

It has never been more important than now to ensure that all employees within a company who has either, access to, or drives company vehicles are full trained and aware of the legislation now in place that affects them and their employers. This also includes those drivers who use their own vehicles for company use, either as part of the job, or on a temporary basis.

The consequences for the company can be very serious in the event that the employee is involved in an accident, or the vehicle is defective, or not correctly insured. At Bill Plant Fleetcraft Ltd., as one of the UK’s leading Occupational Road Risk Management and Driver Training specialists, we provide an extensive range of services delivering measurable and tangible results, not only in the field of Occupational Road Risk Management and Consultancy but also driver training to a very high standard. The results include reduced accident rates and improved fuel economy as well as lower fleet operating costs. Contact us, the Corporate Manslaughter Bill became law on the 6th April 2008!