Employers sign up to road safety

Eleven Taranaki employers have made a commitment to safe driving practices for their fleet vehicles by signing up to the Regional Road Safety Charter, which was launched in April 2016.

The charter is a practical way for businesses to meet new onroad health and safety legislative obligations through sharing resources, showcasing best practice and improving their reputation by demonstrating their commitment to the safety of their workforce on the road. While there are no statistics available on commercial fleets in the region, heavy trucks make up approximately 12 per cent of vehicles and the employers who have committed to the charter have a total of 495 vehicles of all types on the road.

‘‘The opportunity to reach that many drivers was the motivation for the four partners who developed the charter concept,’’ says Liz Beck from New Plymouth District Council. Beck worked alongside New Plymouth Injury Safe, Roadsafe Taranaki, the Police and Shell Todd Oil Services on the project. Roadsafe Taranaki took over the co-ordination of the charter, which sits well with its core business, from August 1.