Making sure it works

There's no point having a safe driving policy if staff are not encouraged to follow it and if no one knows about it.

Encouraging everyone to participate

In your policy, set out tasks that people are responsible for:

• Clearly set out staff responsibilities.
• Motivate staff to follow the policy through using incentives and rewards.
• Make sure everyone knows about the new safe driving policy through internal communications.
• Make line managers aware and accountable.
• Enhance your reputation by advertising at every opportunity the fact that you have a safe driving policy, including any environmental measures.

Making people responsible

In your policy, set out the tasks people are responsible for, eg:

• ensuring drivers are trained and licensed, and that training of each staff member is up-to-date
• holding staff driving records
• licensing and servicing all vehicles (keep records of these)
• buying company vehicles
• continually recording and analysing crash results, maintenance costs, driver behaviour
• ensuring the policy is followed
• ensuring initial and ongoing information to staff
• promotion of the policy
• measuring success
• assessing drivers.

The policy should also clearly set out staff responsibilities, eg:

• complying with the safe driving policy
• attending driver training
• complying with the New Zealand Road Code and all traffic laws and regulations
• avoiding aggressive road behaviour
• advising their manager of speeding tickets, crashes, breaches of traffic regulations
• reporting all injury crashes to the police within 24 hours
• holding a current driver licence for the correct class of vehicle, and ensuring that endorsements on the licence are valid and up- to-date
• driving in a way that conserves fuel and not making unnecessary trips.

Making sure your policy is followed

In many situations safe driving comes down to attitude. You can provide safer vehicles, give your drivers practical and technical skills, and set up systems to reduce fatigue. But at the end of the day your drivers must have the right attitude to driving.

Motivate staff to do what they know they should by:

• clearly setting out staff and management responsibilities, the rationale for these and the consequences of not adhering to them
• providing incentives
• not paying speeding fines for your drivers
• explaining which behaviours are not condoned and why
• putting your policy in writing — even write it into your organisation's code of conduct
• discussing road safety in regular staff meetings
• making your policy part of the company rules — NOT guidelines.

Getting the message across — internal and external promotion

Internal promotion

To successfully implement a safe driving policy, all staff need to know exactly what is expected of them.

You should think about the key messages you want to get across. Then communicate them using plain, clear, concise language.

Repeat these messages in as many places as possible, eg at staff meetings, staff inductions, newsletters, management meetings, noticeboards, intranet, email.

Sample key messages (some ideas)

• Cut out crashes — follow the new safe driving policy.
• Sleep is the only cure for fatigue.
• If it's red or white it's alright (only hire vehicles that are red or white).
• Learn to drive — again (attend driver training in safe driving policy).
• Safe driving is good for you ... and good for business!
• Toe the line — and stay off the phoneline when driving.
• Be smooth — drive to save fuel
• Let's get together — car pool and cut down car trips.

Promotional ideas

• Put the policy in all staff induction packs.
• Include a regular feature in staff newsletters.
• Feature a safe driver of the month.
• Keep crash reports and promote internally and externally the savings in injuries/crashes and costs to the organisation.
• Produce stickers with key messages.
• Use management to promote participation.
• Offer a workplace challenge that involves a central social fund. A certain amount can be added when departments achieve a clean slate at the end of each month or each quarter.

External promotion

Having a safe driving policy could enhance your reputation as a business, so advertise the fact that you have one (in the future, some organisations might only want to contract from companies with safe driving policies).

Highlight the benefit of the policy to your business ‘safe driving is good business’ and to the community (‘We're helping to bring down the road toll’, ‘We're helping our environment’). Use formal channels, eg media releases and articles for local papers, external newsletters, Internet, etc. Also use informal channels, eg external meetings and networks. If the policy is a first in your area/industry, you could publicise it in trade journals or other industry media.

Figures on the reduction in crashes and the savings made through the policy will provide opportunities for promotion, as will innovative measures to improve environmental performance. Let Land Transport New Zealand and ACC know how your safe driving policy is going, and what savings/investments have been made.

Keeping an eye on your policy's success

Keep a record of crashes that occur after your safe driving policy has been put in place — use this to analyse how well it is working and what improvements need to be made. Demonstrate your commitment to the policy by organising an annual review and link the results to your managers'/organisation's performance objectives.

By this stage you will have identified the driving characteristics of your organisation, assessed your driving habits, analysed your crash history, and determined how much crashes were costing you.

You need to ensure you have the systems in place (eg an incident register) for ongoing recording and analysis of these figures. Use these figures to determine:

• how well your policy is being followed
• the areas where your policy is not being followed
• where a change in emphasis, priority or enforcement might be needed
• what savings and/or returns have been made.

In your policy, state how often the policy will be reviewed, and who will review it. You could even consider requiring review figures as part of your organisation's and/or managers' annual performance.

For larger organisations, using an independent external auditor is an option.

Quick tips

• When recording crashes, look at the cause of the crash without apportioning blame — you want to determine what improvements might be needed in the organisation, e.g. are work schedules unrealistic, are staff overworked, are there disincentives if staff are late?
• Set up a crash register to record the number of crashes involving your company's vehicles. The register should show the crash incidence per 10,000km driven (or similar) and the cost of crash repairs and vehicle replacement per 100,000 vehicle kilometres over a period.

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Last updated: 28 August 2007