The benefits
There are true costs of accidents to companies that are nearly always higher than just the costs of repairs and insurance claims. The real consequences of an accident on the self-employed and small businesses are likely to be proportionately greater than on a larger business with greater resources. But the loss of life and subsequent brand name damage that is caused by corporate manslaughter will affect any size of organization.
The benefits to you from managing work-related road safety can be considerable, no matter the size of your business.
It allows you to exercise better control over costs, such as wear and tear and fuel, insurance premiums and legal fees and claims from employees and third parties.
It also allows you to make informed decisions about matters such as driver training and vehicle purchase, and helps you identify where health and safety improvements can be made.
Case studies and research have shown that benefits from managing work-related road safety and reducing crashes include:
- fewer days lost due to injury;
- reduced risk of work-related ill health;
- reduced stress and improved morale;
- less need for investigation and paperwork;
- less lost time due to work rescheduling;
- fewer vehicles off the road for repair;
- reduced running costs through better driving standards;
- fewer missed orders and business opportunities so reduced risk of losing the goodwill of customers;
- less chance of key employees being banned from driving, eg as a result of points on their licences.
Promoting sound health and safety driving practices and a good safety culture at work may well spill over into private driving, which could reduce the chances of staff being injured in a crash outside work.