Direct Communications takes the journey with DriveTech (UK) to a safer future

1 February 2006

A spate of accidents involving vehicles on a high-mileage fleet operated by family-run Direct Communications led to the company embarking on The Journey - the A-Z strategic occupational risk management programme developed by DriveTech (UK) Limited.

Since embarking on the three-stage initiative - involving a comprehensive risk assessment of existing risk management practices, at-work drivers undergoing an online risk assessment and finally safe driving solutions being introduced tailored to individual drivers’ risk ratings - the Huntingdon-based company has slashed its incident rate to zero.

Direct Communications, which installs and maintains in-store public address systems and satellite music systems on behalf of a host of high street names, and sister company Direct Communications Radio Services, which specialises in the supply of two-way radio systems, is a £3.5 million turnover privately-owned business operating a fleet of 30 vans and 15 company cars.

The leased all-diesel vehicles, which are replaced on a three-year cycle clock-up 20,000 to 40,000 miles a year operating nationwide from the company’s Cambridgeshire headquarters as well as depots in Scotland, Newcastle, Ellesmere Port, Chesterfield and Bristol.

Fleet manager Gavin Bailey said: ‘We have suffered at least one vehicle write-off a year and a number of other incidents involving our vehicles which causes significant upheaval to our business, can impact on our customers, causes distress to our employees and other road users and hits the company financially.

‘However, in the first eight months of last year two of our vehicles had been written-off, four others had been involved in blameworthy accidents and there had been a couple of other incidents. Those incidents had cost the company more than £60,000 in vehicle damage alone. With an increasing focus by the Government, police and Health and Safety Executive on reducing the number of road traffic incidents involving at-work drivers I decided action had to be taken to stem the accident toll.’

Consequently, DriveTech (UK), the country’s leading provider of at-work driving risk management, driver assessment and driver training solutions, was appointed in October last year to put in place a comprehensive occupational road risk strategy.

Since then an audit of Direct Communications’ occupational driving policies and procedures has been carried out, all employees who drive company vehicles have completed online risk assessments and 16 employees - those designated as ‘high’ risk following the online assessment, young drivers, drivers who have been involved in accidents and those with points on their licence - have undergone on-the-road driver training.

In addition, occasional drivers and those employees rated ‘low’ and ‘medium’ risk following risk assessment have attended road safety awareness workshops. In the future, refresher on-the-road driver training and workshops will be held.

DriveTech (UK) has also helped the company to rewrite its driver handbook and will shortly implement a regular driver licence checking programme.

Mr Bailey said: ‘Since introducing the safe driving training programme our drivers have not been involved in any road traffic incidents. It has been a huge commitment for a small company such as ourselves to make, but I believe that it has been worth it from both a financial and a moral standpoint.

‘Not only have we reduced our accident frequency and therefore saved the company money, but employees are driving more efficiently and that has already resulted in fuel bill savings. In addition, because drivers contribute the first £250 to the repair of a vehicle involved in a blameworthy accident they are also saving money.

‘Although the safe driving initiative is in its early stages I am confident that we will see a reduction in our accident statistics this year.’

In choosing vehicles - vans are typically Ford Transit Connect and Vauxhall Astra and cars are Skoda Superb or Octavias - European New Car Assessment Programme crash test results are taken into account and vehicle specification includes ABS, driver and passenger airbags, air conditioning and specifically on commercial vehicles a full steel bulkhead.

DriveTech (UK) managing director Jim Kirkwood said: ‘Being a small company Direct Communications is to be congratulated for putting in place such a robust occupational road risk strategy.

Editor’s notes

DriveTech is the UK's leading provider of ‘driving at work’ risk management, driver assessment and driver training solutions.

DriveTech’s goal is to reduce both an organisation’s vehicle business costs and the personal risk for ‘at work’ drivers, by significantly improving driver ABC – attitude, behaviour and competence – therefore supporting driver safety and corporate ‘duty of care’ requirements.

DriveTech (UK) has won the Institute of Transport Management’s ‘Fleet Award for Driver Training’ in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 and its 'European Driver Safety Specialist' award in 2005.

DriveTech (UK) can be contacted at enquiries@drivetech.co.uk, telephone 01344 467881 or via its website at www.drivetech.co.uk

For further information contact:
Ashley Martin (telephone 01733 390691) or Arthur Dalziel (0121 445 6633)
AWD Communications Ltd.