DRIVING FOR WORK

DRIVING is an essential part of work life for many people. It can be enjoyable and pleasant, but it can also be stressful and dangerous. Driving for work is a high-risk activity. People who drive for work are 40% more likely than other drivers to be involved in a collision. It is estimated that driving for work accounts for involvement in one in three collisions every year.

If an employee is driving for work, it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure they are fully qualified and experienced enough to do so. Employers are required to put a ‘driving for work’ safety plan in place. If not, there could be serious consequences for both employers and employees.

Although the driver is mainly responsible for how they drive, as an employer you also have a key role to play in managing and influencing the driver. By law, you as an employer need to make sure that your employees are:

Legally entitled to drive the vehicle they are driving,

Using a vehicle that is safe and roadworthy,

Properly informed, trained, competent and fit to drive it safely, and Using the vehicle safely.

THREE MAIN TYPES OF LAW APPLY TO DRIVING FOR WORK IN IRELAND:

Road traffic law, Health and safety law, and EU rules on driving time. Ireland has many good examples of companies and organisations that have developed effective road-safety interventions in the workplace.

These firms have reduced collision rates, less absenteeism, better vehicle maintenance, lower fuel costs, reduced insurance premiums, greater staff satisfaction and better resaleability of vehicles.

Remember, employers, managers and supervisors must, by law, manage the risks that employees face and create when they drive for work. Presented in association with the Road Safety Authority.