Initiative details
Occupational Road Risk, also known as Work Related Road Risk (WRRR), is the risk that an employee may be involved in a collision while driving for work, causing harm to themselves and others. As a minimum, 1/3 of injury collisions every year in the UK involves at least one person driving for work, with 35,000 casualties because of these collisions annually.
Employers have an established legal role to play in the safe management of their employees who drive/ride for work under the UK Health and Safety at Work Act. Workplace health and safety legislation applies equally to work related driving and riding and should be applied in the same way as in the physical workplace.
The Driving for Better Business programme (DfBB) works on the premise that employers have a crucial role to play in the safety of drivers and other road users. Working with employers, we can positively influence a significant number of road users to improve driver behaviour and reduce collisions and injuries. Whilst there is a focus on the requirement under law to manage driving for work, the principle is valid in any jurisdiction.
Our vision is “a world where those who use the roads for work do so safely, efficiently and sustainably" and mission is “To improve safety and reduce risk for all those who drive or ride for work, by promoting good management practice and demonstrating the significant business benefits”.
Employers have an established legal role to play in the safe management of their employees who drive/ride for work under the UK Health and Safety at Work Act. Workplace health and safety legislation applies equally to work related driving and riding and should be applied in the same way as in the physical workplace.
The Driving for Better Business programme (DfBB) works on the premise that employers have a crucial role to play in the safety of drivers and other road users. Working with employers, we can positively influence a significant number of road users to improve driver behaviour and reduce collisions and injuries. Whilst there is a focus on the requirement under law to manage driving for work, the principle is valid in any jurisdiction.
Our vision is “a world where those who use the roads for work do so safely, efficiently and sustainably" and mission is “To improve safety and reduce risk for all those who drive or ride for work, by promoting good management practice and demonstrating the significant business benefits”.
Initiative date
Who was/is your target audience?
Policy makers
Public authorities
Company employees
Fleet operators
Emergency services
Topic
Create awareness
Knowledge building and sharing
Provide alternative solutions
Training
Organisation details
National Highways - Driving for Better Business
Local Public authority
United Kingdom
England - UK
Contact name
Anne-Marie Penny
Telephone number
07526179334
anne-marie.penny@nationalhighways.co.uk
Website link
Project activities
If you work together with external partners, list the most important partners and briefly describe their role.
Our 128 partners include 26 trade associations that look after the interests of 30,000 businesses operating commercial vehicles, vans, and company cars. They also include suppliers that provide services to those companies such as driver training or vehicle telematics. DfBB partners are asked to share our content, social media and website links with their own customers or members.
We have stakeholder partners who are those organisations who are actively engaged in improving work-related road safety and risk management. They include national and local government, regulators, emergency services, trade associations and the media. Examples of these include Department for Transport, Health & Safety Executive, police forces, fire and rescue and UK devolved local and national government administrations.
We also have delivery partners who are commercial organisations whose work contributes to the improvement of work-related road safety and risk management. They share insight and guidance with our community and promote Driving for Better Business within their own business networks.
All these partners are crucial in the delivery and implementation of the programme and achieving the aims of the programme through engagement, events and improving programme awareness.
We have stakeholder partners who are those organisations who are actively engaged in improving work-related road safety and risk management. They include national and local government, regulators, emergency services, trade associations and the media. Examples of these include Department for Transport, Health & Safety Executive, police forces, fire and rescue and UK devolved local and national government administrations.
We also have delivery partners who are commercial organisations whose work contributes to the improvement of work-related road safety and risk management. They share insight and guidance with our community and promote Driving for Better Business within their own business networks.
All these partners are crucial in the delivery and implementation of the programme and achieving the aims of the programme through engagement, events and improving programme awareness.
Please describe the project activities you carried/are carrying out and the time period over which these were implemented.
DfBB was introduced in 2007 following the Department for Transports 2001 research into WRRR. From 2007, RoadSafe ran the small campaign until National Highways adopted it and developed it into a far-reaching programme in 2017 with a budget of £80,000 and a team of 2. Since then, it has grown in both delivery team size and to a budget of £700,000< and to include over 15,000 businesses collectively managing 6 million drivers driving over 5 million vehicles.
DfBB uses a collaborative approach to share good practice and a business improvement message to engage, whilst still achieving improved safety outcomes. The programme provides a customer journey approach, with easy steps to achieve good road safety results and benefit realisation. This includes gap analysis, policy builder and benchmarking tools which allow organisations to establish how their practice looks against both legal requirements and industry standards and to enable them to enshrine best practice into their culture. Organisations can enter the process at an appropriate point to allow for those who have already started their improvement journey.
Further activities include:
• Weekly communications to members (monthly fleet focus pack, articles, case studies, podcasts/interviews)
• Toolkits which include guidance for driver managers and resources for their drivers
• Engagement asset packs for partners to share with their networks
• Events, industry conferences, trade exhibitions, partner events. We also host our own events
• H&S Event: Driver Safety Zone - 3 days of quality CPD sessions for our audience
• All programme content and activity is promoted on social media which is also shared by partners.
DfBB uses a collaborative approach to share good practice and a business improvement message to engage, whilst still achieving improved safety outcomes. The programme provides a customer journey approach, with easy steps to achieve good road safety results and benefit realisation. This includes gap analysis, policy builder and benchmarking tools which allow organisations to establish how their practice looks against both legal requirements and industry standards and to enable them to enshrine best practice into their culture. Organisations can enter the process at an appropriate point to allow for those who have already started their improvement journey.
Further activities include:
• Weekly communications to members (monthly fleet focus pack, articles, case studies, podcasts/interviews)
• Toolkits which include guidance for driver managers and resources for their drivers
• Engagement asset packs for partners to share with their networks
• Events, industry conferences, trade exhibitions, partner events. We also host our own events
• H&S Event: Driver Safety Zone - 3 days of quality CPD sessions for our audience
• All programme content and activity is promoted on social media which is also shared by partners.
In terms of implementation, what worked well and what challenges did you need to overcome?
Our successes have been:
• High levels of engagement as our resources are free
• Good reach f our audience through carefully selected communications channels
• Working with subject matter experts to provide high quality content
• We are seen as a trusted source of information through our work with regulators, government, and industry champions
• We are the primary source of information on WRRR through the dedicated website
• Provision of CPD sessions through our theatre at the H&S Event
DfBB has a team of 3 programme development manages who actively promote the work of DfBB and manage relationships with partners who disseminate DfBB to their networks.
There are some key issues to address in reducing work-related road collisions and casualties:
• Very little collision/casualty data for driving for work
• WRRR incidents/collisions aren’t reportable to the HSE like other serious workplace incidents
• Lack of awareness of employer responsibilities
• Lack of employer focus & management – driving for work rarely seen as safety critical
• Driver & vehicle roadworthiness
• Changing landscape – growth in gig-economy and home delivery activities since 2020 including the increase in use of low P2W
• Enforcement focus on the driver, rarely companies
• No formal process to identify and address company failings
Information from evaluation and partners and the support they provide enables us to better understand industry issues and provide appropriate resources and guidance.
• High levels of engagement as our resources are free
• Good reach f our audience through carefully selected communications channels
• Working with subject matter experts to provide high quality content
• We are seen as a trusted source of information through our work with regulators, government, and industry champions
• We are the primary source of information on WRRR through the dedicated website
• Provision of CPD sessions through our theatre at the H&S Event
DfBB has a team of 3 programme development manages who actively promote the work of DfBB and manage relationships with partners who disseminate DfBB to their networks.
There are some key issues to address in reducing work-related road collisions and casualties:
• Very little collision/casualty data for driving for work
• WRRR incidents/collisions aren’t reportable to the HSE like other serious workplace incidents
• Lack of awareness of employer responsibilities
• Lack of employer focus & management – driving for work rarely seen as safety critical
• Driver & vehicle roadworthiness
• Changing landscape – growth in gig-economy and home delivery activities since 2020 including the increase in use of low P2W
• Enforcement focus on the driver, rarely companies
• No formal process to identify and address company failings
Information from evaluation and partners and the support they provide enables us to better understand industry issues and provide appropriate resources and guidance.
Evaluation
Please summarise how you have evaluated the initiative’s impact (e.g. social media reach, survey, feedback forms, statistics).
Work-related road risk is well researched. To complement existing studies, we commissioned research taking into account the changing landscape of the gig economy. We identified that the programme could be the catalyst to drive casualties down and contribute to addressing the stagnation of fatalities. Through the programme we have commissioned:
1. UCL Prof. Nicola Christie and Heather Ward: Driving for work: A strategic review of risks associated with cars and light vans and implications for policy and practice
2. Independent surveys with organisations looking at those who drive for work:
a. The use of drugs
b. Mobile phone use
c. CEO and drivers study
d. Business Resilience
In July 2024 an independent evaluation of the programme was carried out to determine the effectiveness of DfBB in supporting organisations to manage their road risk. The evaluation used a mix of semi-structured interviews and a wider anonymous survey. The analysis completed on the interviews produced 4 themes: Brand Awareness, Safety Culture, Resources and Ongoing Communication.
Case studies are continually conducted to evaluate the benefits seen by engaged organisations to see real world examples of improvement.
1. UCL Prof. Nicola Christie and Heather Ward: Driving for work: A strategic review of risks associated with cars and light vans and implications for policy and practice
2. Independent surveys with organisations looking at those who drive for work:
a. The use of drugs
b. Mobile phone use
c. CEO and drivers study
d. Business Resilience
In July 2024 an independent evaluation of the programme was carried out to determine the effectiveness of DfBB in supporting organisations to manage their road risk. The evaluation used a mix of semi-structured interviews and a wider anonymous survey. The analysis completed on the interviews produced 4 themes: Brand Awareness, Safety Culture, Resources and Ongoing Communication.
Case studies are continually conducted to evaluate the benefits seen by engaged organisations to see real world examples of improvement.
What has been the effect of the activities?
Our case studies show a 10% year on year reduction in collisions. DfBB has demonstrated outcomes that go beyond accident frequency rates and case studies from the DfBB community show significant benefits from improved management of WRRR since engaging with the programme.
James Haluch, (MD, Amey Highways to December 2020) said: “There are tangible benefits to organisations adopting policies that are integral to the Driving for Better Business programme." “…. in the last twelve months, Amey Highway’s ‘at fault’ incidents reduced by 49 per cent. Like-for-like fleet emissions of CO2 dropped by six per cent; we recorded 30 per cent better efficiency in fleet utilisation and used four per cent less fuel.”
A summary of key outcomes from our 2024 evaluation included:
• DfBB was universally seen as a highly credible free resource
• Partners saw the brand's credibility as important. A range of partners indicated they were not only supporting DfBB for safety reasons but also as a way of improving their own credibility.
The main reasons given for using DfBB were:
• Compliance with legislation and improving safety
• Time saving
• One stop shop for WRRR resources
• Ongoing communication and support provided by DfBB were seen very positively; in particular, the DfBB team were highly praised
• The social media presence was also seen positively; with many organisations highlighting this was how they had initially become aware of DfBB
James Haluch, (MD, Amey Highways to December 2020) said: “There are tangible benefits to organisations adopting policies that are integral to the Driving for Better Business programme." “…. in the last twelve months, Amey Highway’s ‘at fault’ incidents reduced by 49 per cent. Like-for-like fleet emissions of CO2 dropped by six per cent; we recorded 30 per cent better efficiency in fleet utilisation and used four per cent less fuel.”
A summary of key outcomes from our 2024 evaluation included:
• DfBB was universally seen as a highly credible free resource
• Partners saw the brand's credibility as important. A range of partners indicated they were not only supporting DfBB for safety reasons but also as a way of improving their own credibility.
The main reasons given for using DfBB were:
• Compliance with legislation and improving safety
• Time saving
• One stop shop for WRRR resources
• Ongoing communication and support provided by DfBB were seen very positively; in particular, the DfBB team were highly praised
• The social media presence was also seen positively; with many organisations highlighting this was how they had initially become aware of DfBB
Please briefly explain why your initiative is a good example of improving road safety.
DfBB uses a collaborative approach to share good practice and a business improvement message to engage, whilst still achieving improved safety outcomes. By working with employers, we can positively influence a significant number of road users to improve driver behaviour and reduce collisions and injuries, using their established responsibilities under UK workplace health and safety legislation. It is also worth noting that by improving workplace driving culture, it is inevitable that subconsciously those drivers will form improved attitudes, standards and behaviours to all aspects of their driving – not just whilst working.
Because as included in the evaluation feedback provided showed us that besides the fact the resource is free, it is also easy to use and time efficient which improves uptake and engagement.
Employers have that legally established duty of care, for the safety of their drivers and other road users. It is right that we engage with employers to ensure their success in this crucial role.
Because as included in the evaluation feedback provided showed us that besides the fact the resource is free, it is also easy to use and time efficient which improves uptake and engagement.
Employers have that legally established duty of care, for the safety of their drivers and other road users. It is right that we engage with employers to ensure their success in this crucial role.
How have you shared information about your project and its results?
DfBB in itseld is an engagement programme. Through the benefit of social media, websites, partner publications and in-person engagement (such as events, seminars and managing relationships), DfBB shares the safety, efficiency and environmental benefits experienced by organisations which have implemented good management practices through it’s website under a dedicated “case studies” section (https://www.drivingforbetterbusiness.com/case-studies/) clearly listed under the “resources” section. This makes it easily visible for prospective users of DfBB to see some benefits others have experienced such as collision reduction, fuel use reduction, emissions reduction, fleet immobility reduction and business operating cost reduction. This ensures that decision makers can see that not only are there benefits of making their fleet safer, but there can be some further business benefits to their positive engagement.
Internally to National Highways, we report monthly on the success of the programme’s activities and engagement.
Internally to National Highways, we report monthly on the success of the programme’s activities and engagement.