IAM RoadSmart’s new video highlights the real cost of business crashes

With one-third of all road crashes still involving vehicles driven on business (reference 1) leading road safety charity IAM RoadSmart has produced a short video highlighting the issue.

Every day around 150 vehicles driven on business crash, and each year there are 14,000 road deaths and serious injuries in involving people at work. IAM RoadSmart is dedicated to reducing these numbers through its Driving for Work programme.

IAM RoadSmart Business has a range of information, on-road training and seminars to help businesses meet their duty of care responsibility and comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974; but also help their drivers reduce the likelihood of a crash and drive more efficiently – saving fuel, reducing stress and cutting insurance premiums.

The video showcases some of the techniques highlighted during Driving for Work courses, including ‘spoken thought’ which encourages drivers to describe what they are seeing and act accordingly: “observation anticipation and planning” says Shaun Cronin, regional service delivery team manager south – allow the driver to predict what other road users might do next.

Gary Bishop, fleet manager for Cannon Hygiene, said in the video: “Businesses train their new employees with their smartphones and laptops, but what they do forget is most of the time those people are on the road driving – the most dangerous thing you can do for work is drive. I want to promote the fact that more training should be given.”

Lesley Upham, IAM RoadSmart commercial director, said: “There are many factors to consider when it comes to offering training to business drivers. The cost element is a major one; just think of the impact on your profits of a 35% saving in crashes or a 55% saving in fuel.

“But the primary consideration has to be the human factor. Quite apart from the stress level amongst business drivers who are often required to keep working as they drive, one-third of all road accidents involve people on business. We cannot have so many business drives ending in shock, injury and sometimes tragedy.”

For more information about IAM RoadSmart Driving for Business products click here: https://www.iamroadsmart.com/iam-business/overview

And to watch IAM RoadSmart’s new video click here: https://youtu.be/grHCPKoWWEY  

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Notes to editors

Reference 1: http://www.drivingforbetterbusiness.com/about/default.aspx

IAM RoadSmart press office – 020 8996 9777 – press.office@iam.org.uk            

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IAM RoadSmart has a mission to make better drivers and riders in order to improve road safety, inspire confidence and make driving and riding enjoyable. It does this through a range of courses for all road users, from online assessments through to the advanced driving and riding tests. IAM RoadSmart is the trading name of all businesses operated by the UK’s largest road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and was formed in April 2016 combining the IAM, IAM Drive & Survive, PDS and IAM Driver Retraining Academy. The organisation has 92,000 members and campaigns on road safety on their behalf. At any one time there are over 7,000 drivers and riders actively engaged with IAM RoadSmart’s courses, from members of the public to company drivers, while our Driver Retraining Academy has helped 2,500 drivers to shorten their bans through education and support programmes.

To find out more about IAM RoadSmart products and services visit the new website www.iamroadsmart.com           

To find out the name of your own local IAM RoadSmart group please visit: https://wwwiamroadsmart.com/local-groups      

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