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Reducing road deaths and injuries at work – five companies recognised

  • October 20, 2015

The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) has announced the 2015 winners of its PRAISE awards recognising organisations that have taken outstanding measures to improve road safety at work.

The winners, together with highlights of their road safety programmes are as follows:

Large company award: OMV Petrom, Romania
Sector: Oil and gas
Programme highlights:

  • integrated vehicle monitoring system covers 10,000 drivers;
  • road safety requirements for contractors;
  • no road related deaths or serious injuries in last three years.

Public authority award: Transport for London, United Kingdom
Sector: Public transport
Programme highlights:

  • risk assessment of all 3,820 drivers;
  • all collisions, incidents and near misses reported and investigated;
  • improvements driven through supply chain thanks to construction logistics and freight operator recognition schemes.

Small and medium-sized enterprise award: Institute of Advanced Motorists, UK
Sector: Charity
Programme highlights:

  • online and on-road risk assessment of all staff driving on work business;
  • annual targets to reduce total mileage and number of collisions;
  • Company car scheme requires Euro NCAP five star rating; random inspection of vehicles.

Highly Commended: AstraZeneca
Sector: Pharmaceuticals
Programme highlights:

  • clear safety performance targets;
  • regular driver safety campaigns;
  • on-board in-vehicle telemetry systems for high risk drivers.

Highly Commended: Police Luxembourg
Sector: Policing
Programme highlights:

  • clear risk assessment of employees;
  • mandatory advanced road safety training for special units;
  • vehicles equipped with accident data recorders.

The winners will be honoured at a conference and award ceremony to be held in Brussels today Tuesday 20 October.
Antonio Avenoso, Executive Director of ETSC said:

“Road safety is everyone’s business. But organisations, large and small, have a pivotal role to play by putting road safety considerations at the heart of their operations. The companies and organisations we are recognising today are driving the change with initiatives that reduce collisions, prevent injuries and also help the bottom line.”

Using the road for business is the leading cause of work-related deaths and injuries.  It is estimated that in Europe six out of ten work accidents resulting in death are road crashes, including both crashes while driving for work and commuting.

Data from the UK show that business travel makes up about 30% of all travel, rising to over 50% if commuting is included. UK Department for Transport travel survey data show that people who drive for work are up to 40% more likely than other drivers to be involved in a collision.