DRIVER training has the 'greatest potential for achieving safer roads', but to be effective it must be viewed as one element of a systematic risk management process. All those involved, from fleet decision-makers and government policy makers need to look beyond accident statistics if casualty rates are to be drastically cut.

This is the message Assistant Commissioner Paul Manning, the chairman of the Association of Chief Police Officers is due to give at a conference called 'Cutting the cost of commercial car collisions', sponsored by Fleet NewsNet's sister publication Fleet News, on April 13 at the Hendon Police College, North London.

On that day Manning is due to highlight a number of developments which will be key elements in a strategy 'Joining forces for safer roads' which aims to unite driver training organisations, local authorities, insurance companies and fleet managers in a nationwide effort to reduce road casualties.

In his conference speech Manning is due to say: 'The full costs of collisions, whether they be injury and/or damage are consistently underestimated, if not ignored, and raising awareness of this issue was a primary driver behind this event.' He also refers to data recently published by the Transport Research Laboratory which shows that company car drivers are 40-50% more likely to have an accident than the average driver.