A WEST Midlands fleet has seen its annual accident rate plunge, its insurance premiums fall and its staff productivity rise after instigating a raft of road safety measures, driver training and incentives.

The road safety initiatives were introduced after photographic wholesaler Sangers Group, with a Birmingham-based 110-strong fleet, decided its accident rate had got alarmingly high.

Group operations manager Mark Allwood said: 'Our fleet was involved in 42 accidents in 1999, which we thought was too many. The impact on the company's productivity and our insurance premiums was alarming. Action needed to be taken.'

The firm hired independent risk assessment company Risk Answers to put together a strategy and introduce driver training, with a penalty and reward scheme in the company car policy relating to accidents, which benefits incident-free employees.

Following the systems being put in place, the company had six at-fault accidents in 2000, and five in 2001.

Allwood added: 'As a result of that improved record, our insurance premiums reduced by 15% last year when we could have expected a 20–30% increase given the type of fleet we operate, and the huge increases there have been in insurance premiums.'