Road Safety Week: Fleets urged to ensure drivers aware of Highway Code changes

Drivers of company cars, vans and trucks are being urged of the importance of understanding changes to the Highway Code as National Road Safety Week starts today (November 14) with the theme of Safe Roads for All.

The code sets out a hierarchy of road users, with those who can cause the most harm having the greatest responsibility to protect others on the road.

Mary Williams, chief executive at Brake, said: “Road crashes devastate families who are bereaved and seriously injured. Road Safety Week is an opportunity for everyone – including drivers, and employers, and community leaders – to come together and make roads safe for all, particularly the most vulnerable.

“Drivers can follow the Highway Code; slowing down and giving people space is vital for safety. Employers can implement safe driving policies for their employees. Community leaders can work with their local authorities for measures that protect people, such as cycle paths. Road casualties are an appalling carnage that can and must end, through us all taking the right steps.”

Road Safety Week is coordinated by Brake, the road safety charity, in support of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) THINK! campaign and is sponsored by Arval UK, DHL Supply Chain and VisionTrack.

Richard Holden, Roads Minister, said: “Everyone should be confident using our roads and we’re committed to continually improving road safety.

“I’m delighted to support Brake’s fantastic work across Road Safety Week to promote the changes to the Highway Code and help all road users understand their responsibility to protect those more at risk.”

Simon Marsh, CEO, VisionTrack, said he was "incredibly proud" to be supporting Brake, once again, on its annual Road Safety Week.

He explained: "As part of our activity, we’ve reached out to our customer base, both in the UK and abroad, who are collectively responsible for fleet drivers travelling over 4 million miles every day, to share important road safety messages. 

"Together, we can create even more opportunities to drive the vital road safety agenda.”  

Ailsa Firth, director of HR at Arval UK, added: “With more than 185,000 vehicles on UK roads, we have a responsibility to take action to help improve safety for all road users.

"As the age of zero-emission travel is upon us, new modes of sustainable transport are becoming available, opening up roads to alternative technology, which in turn adjusts people’s driving styles and capabilities.

"We need to keep safety at the heart of that change and the forefront of all of our minds and therefore we are proud to continue our support for Brake and Road Safety Week in its mission to make our roads a safer place for all.”  

Bob Naylor, vice president transport at DHL UKI, said he was also proud to support this year's campaign. "Our Safety First culture strives not only to keep our colleagues safe on the roads, but also other vulnerable road users," he added. 

"DHL sites across the UK are preparing to participate in a variety of road safety-related activities which share the theme’s messages and raises awareness that ‘Everyone’s Life Matters’ on our roads.”  

FORS, the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme, has committed to supporting this year’s Road Safety Week through a range of fundraising and awareness-building activities.

These include a series of informative LinkedIn blogs to be published throughout the week, aimed at fleet operators and drivers.

FORS has also prepared a Road Safety Week Toolkit containing ideas and inspiration for operators seeking to get involved in the initiative.

The toolkit provides guidance on a range of ideas, including vehicle familiarity events, working with local authorities and emergency services, sharing information on social channels and websites, creating flyers for schools and colleges, and setting up PR opportunities with local media.

Drivers seeking to brush up on their safety training can also benefit from FORS’ Road Safety Week training promotion. Twenty-five free places have been made available to non-FORS accredited operators on each of the popular Van Smart and Safe Urban Driving training courses.

Operators simply need to enter code FORS22 into the FORS ID field of the application form to enjoy the offer. The promotion applies to the Van Smart course scheduled for Saturday, December 10, at Radisson Hotel & Conference Centre, London Heathrow, and the Safe Urban Driving course at Mercure Hotel, Birmingham, on Saturday, December 17.

As well as mobilising the FORS community to get involved, FORS is also encouraging its staff to volunteer, fundraise and promote the cause. For instance, Aimee Mitchell, FORS head of business operations, will be representing Brake at her local Roadchef service station on Thursday (November 17).

Mitchell will be encouraging drivers to complete a simple Highway Code Quiz, handing out useful road safety resources and encouraging donations for the charity.

FORS concession director, Ian Henderson, said: “Safety is one of the core tenets of the FORS Standard, and naturally it’s something that we and all FORS accredited operators take extremely seriously. For this year’s Road Safety Week, we are pushing extra hard to encourage staff and the FORS community to take an active role in promoting the initiative in their local area. 

"The work that Brake does – not just during Road Safety Week, but throughout the year – to strive for safer roads is fully aligned with FORS’ mission to drive standards of safety within fleet operations. I look forward to seeing the industry and communities once again working together to effect change.”