How a safe driving policy benefits your organisation

Occupational health and safety

Case study

"I was very lucky that there were no injuries because the responsibility would have been mine."

Colin, owner of a security company based in South Western NSW, recently had a close call that really brought home to him the importance of driver safety for his business.

"I used to pay staff an allowance to use their own cars. It was only when one of my employees had a crash that I realised his car was uninsured and had three bald tyres. I was very lucky that there were no injuries because the responsibility would have been mine.

Now I only use lease vehicles. I include the hire costs in my quotes and I know that I’m covered."

Colin’s commitment to safety doesn’t stop there. Staff are given a briefing that always includes driver safety before a job.

"Security staff are on the road at all hours and so it’s important that they avoid driver fatigue. I insist they swap drivers every hour and I make sure that if they’re coming back late at night, the passenger up front with the driver must stay awake."

It is a legal requirement that vehicles be considered part of your workplace. Part of the Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Act specifies that you must consult your employees about decisions that affect their safety at work.

A safe working environment

Your organisation needs to ensure that the working environment is safe and that there is sufficient instruction, training and supervision.

All employers, no matter what size, structure or governance, must abide by OH&S laws.

All employers have a duty of care for the health and safety of all people in the workplace, which includes drivers of light and heavy vehicles and plant.

Implementing a safe driving policy will fulfil OH&S obligations in relation to work related driving and will also help ensure a safe culture develops throughout your organisation.

Improved financial management

Often the vehicle fleet will be one of the largest overheads for your organisation, so extra safety initiatives such as a safe driving policy will greatly improve returns on your assets. Cost savings made through safety measures go straight to the ‘bottom-line’ profit margin.

Consumer demand for safety features in cars is consistently rising. This is worth taking note of when you upgrade your vehicles and spending that little bit extra on safety features. Not only are you providing a safer environment for your employees, but also increasing the return on your investment and providing safer vehicles in the used car market – benefiting society as a whole.

Implementing a safer work driving policy will result in reduced cost of crashes and insurance premiums for property damage and personal injury.

Corporate image

Implementing a safe driving policy will help your organisation become a good ‘corporate citizen’.

By taking a proactive approach by implementing a safe driving policy, your organisation’s image will be strengthened both internally and externally. Not only does it demonstrate to the wider community that your organisation has a strong commitment to road safety, but also shows your organisation is concerned for the welfare of its employees.

This also reinforces the ‘triple bottom line’ approach many organisations adopt today, in recognising their social responsibility.

By instigating a safe driving policy in your organisation you will also be part of the solution in reducing the road toll.