Brake calls on fleet operators to do more to protect

Brake calls on fleet operators to do more to protect vulnerable road users

Brake, the road safety charity, is calling on fleet operators to do more to include vulnerable road users in their policies and raise awareness among staff, after its latest Fleet Safety Survey revealed four out of five fleet operators think their organisation needs to do more to raise awareness among their workforce of the dangers that cyclists and motorcyclists face.

Over 100 fleet representatives employing 413,000 at-work drivers completed this survey; the majority of respondents are from the UK, with responses also coming from fleets based in Australasia, Africa, Asia, North America and mainland Europe. Respondents manage more than 1.05 million vehicles in total including cars, powered two-wheelers, bicycles and goods vehicles. The size of the fleets varied: the smallest were single-vehicle operators; the largest had more than 50,000 vehicles. Respondents answered questions on policy, driver awareness programmes, their use of technology and training, and how they protect vulnerable road users within their organisations.

Other key survey findings include:
• One in four organisations prioritises meeting delivery targets over road safety.
• More than a third (38%) of respondents believe that the fleet industry as a whole is not doing enough to look after cyclists and motorcyclists.
• Only 36% of respondents think current mandatory vehicle safety features are adequate and do enough to protect vulnerable road users.
• 52% include guidance about protecting cyclists and motorcyclists in their driver education or awareness programmes.

The complete Fleet Safety Survey report is available as a free resource for Brake Professional members. Non-members can also request a copy of the report by contacting Brake on info@brake.org.nz.

Mike Reed, Marketing Director at Licence Bureau, said: “We at Licence Bureau have over the last fifteen years helped to drive change in the road safety arena either directly or indirectly as is the case with our support of the Brake Fleet Safety Survey. I hope fleet and safety managers will benefit by looking at the survey recommendations that can help improve or allow them at least to reflect on whether their existing level of vulnerable road user risk management is more than adequate.”

Caroline Perry, Brake’s NZ director, said: “Every death on our roads is a tragedy that impacts many lives. Raising awareness about the safety of those on two wheels, who face much higher risk of death and serious injury than those in cars, is absolutely vital. Protecting vulnerable road users and minimising the chance that their drivers will be involved in a crash are two important steps that fleet managers can take towards raising road safety standards.

The findings from our fleet survey suggest that many fleet managers are aware of their responsibilities towards vulnerable road users. However, it is clear there is more they could do to include them within their organisations’ policies and procedures, and to raise awareness of these issues among their staff.”

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