RoSPA Press Office : Press Release

March 23, 1999
NEW AWARD FOR COMPANIES WHO CARE FOR DRIVERS

A new award for companies who look after the safety of their drivers is being launched by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

Details of the new award will be explained at the relaunch of the RoSPA National Safe Driving Award Scheme (NSDA) next week, in the south of England.

The scheme, which started in 1918, is being relaunched after a substantial revamp, with support from Halifax Car Insurance, to bring it up-to-date for the 21st century.

For the first time, the awards will feature the opportunity to reward companies who set up successful policies to help manage the risks faced by their fleet drivers while out on the road for work purposes.

Kevin Birch, RoSPA Development Manager (Driver Services), said: "It is estimated that for every £1 accident damage costs a firm, the company loses a further £8 in hidden costs and missed opportunities.

"Companies could save millions of pounds simply by encouraging their drivers to drive more safely, and thanking them through our awards scheme, which they can adapt to include their own rewards as well."

RoSPA believes company car and van drivers who cover over 25,000 miles per year are at the same risk of being killed as an underground coal miner, and around a quarter of the annual 3,600 road deaths are linked to vehicles being driven for work purposes.

The NSDA scheme works by companies sending in a list of all their drivers, whose driving records are then kept by the Society. The company receives driving manuals and road safety publications.

Each year, if the drivers have had no blameworthy accidents or convictions, each individual driver will receive a certificate, with rewards for both individual drivers and companies after certain lengths of accident-free driving.