Online driver training to help curb at work vehicle collisions

Safer driving experts Road Skills Ltd, have launched an online driver training service to tackle the vast number of work-related vehicle collisions that happen to people driving at work.

The E-Driving website has been developed at a time when around one third* of all driving accidents happen on company time, and directors are becoming ever more liable for the safety of their employees, making it one of the biggest health and safety concerns in business today.

The system is an online tutorial that places a particular emphasis on hazard awareness, something which is close to the heart of Road Skills’ MD David Somers, who has been involved with making the logistics industry a safer place for almost 20 years.

He said: “As a haulage company owner, I saw first hand what a massive difference road skills training could have on accidents, fuel usage and the safety of my employees. I’ve been on a mission to spread the word ever since – and realized that many of the same skills we teach to lorry drivers, could be used by drivers of cars and vans, too. There are a lot more company cars on the road, yet for some reason business owners don’t seem to think it’s as important to ensure their drivers are properly trained to cope with the realities of driving at work.

“Accidents are costly for companies. Repairs cost money, insurance premiums go up, staff may have to take time off work and, all whilst this is happening, your vehicle is in the shop so you’re not doing any trade that day.”

The E-Driving online course is easily scalable making it suitable for companies whether they have a single driver on the road or a whole fleet – anyone with health and safety responsibilities can take advantage.

It can be taken either on company time or at home, tracks an individual’s performance and produces detailed reports. Road Skills Ltd can also help companies work to standards set by the Fleet Operators Recognition Scheme, which promotes safer driving.

David added: “We all understand the importance of health and safety, that’s why you see black and yellow tape wherever there’s a danger, warning signs for slippery floors and hard hats on construction sites – yet every day thousands of employers are sending their drivers out onto the road without ensuring they are safe.”

The service, and more details, can be accessed at www.Online-DriverTraining.com

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Editors’ notes:

Road Skills (www.roadskills.biz)  are industry leading specialists in commercial vehicle and car fleet risk and collision reduction.

The range of services includes manager/driver behaviour; health & safety management systems; online risk assessment, telematics data and O licence undertaking.

enquiries@roadskills.biz

*  The Dept for Transport estimate that a third of all road injuries and deaths involve at work journeys. This would mean that of the 1754 fatalities in 2012, 584 were people on a journey whilst at work and over 7000 people driving at work were seriously injured.

More information on this is available: http://bit.ly/1cupSwV