| Police investigation of an at-work driving
crash can result in an in-depth study of a company’s
occupational road risk policies. Ashley Martin reports on
what the police will look for and highlights how Northamptonshire
Police, in partnership with the county council’s road
safety unit, have launched a strategy to help businesses |
PC John Spencer |
 |
| "The campaign is driven
by a desire to reduce casualties" |
Thousands of businesses and company bosses across Britain face the
prospect of prosecution as a result of ignorance, naivety or a “don’t
care” attitude towards managing occupational road safety.
Industry figures suggest that around 80% of organisations have no
at-work driving health and safety policy in place.
However, in Northamptonshire, police and road safety officers have
united and launched a strategy aimed at “driving your business
risk down” through an education process that includes the
utilisation of a CD ROM Understanding Occupational Road Risk –
a Guide for Employers that has been developed and produced by the
Local Authority Road Safety Officers’ Association.
Just like Northamptonshire Police’s other accident reduction
schemes – notably focusing on cutting motorcycle rider deaths
and serious injuries and those involving car drivers aged 17-24
– the campaign is driven by a desire to reduce casualties.
Accidents involving at-work drivers in Northamptonshire, just as
they are nationally, are disproportionately high when compared with
private vehicle use crashes, according to PC John Spencer, senior
collision investigator with Northamptonshire Police and the force’s
casualty reduction officer. It is estimated that about 1,000 people
die each year in occupational road crashes – about a third
of the total number of road deaths – compared with fewer than
350 in other work-related incidents. Around 100,000 at-work drivers
are injured each year, about a third of the national casualty rate.
“Some companies work very hard to make sure occupational
road risk health and safety policies are in place. But there are
companies, some of them very large, who we know are working right
at the margins of the law. They have failed to put any strategies
in place,” he says. And, he warns: “It is only a matter
of time before we investigate those companies following a serious
accident or through intelligence gathered.”Police forces nationwide
now investigate all accidents involving at-work drivers in accordance
with procedures laid down in the Association of Chief Police Officers’
Road Death Investigation Manual.
As a matter of “routine policing”, investigating officers
will want answers to such questions as: Why was the vehicle at the
scene? What was the mechanical condition of the vehicle? What was
the physical condition of the driver?PC Spencer, a police officer
for 28 years and a collision investigator for almost 20 years, says:
“We want to know whether employers have health and safety
and road risk policies in place and about the use of the vehicle,
its condition and its repair and maintenance record. We will also
want to know about the types and lengths of journeys staff are being
asked to make and whether drivers are fatigued.
“Many
employers do not understand the notion that they could be liable
in terms of the law. Whether occupational road risk policies are
in place could be very relevant in terms of the overall crash investigation.
If a driver is believed to be negligent then the company and individuals
within that organisation could be liable as well.”However,
an at-work driver may not need to be involved in an accident to
prompt an in-depth fleet investigation by the police or a partner
agency such as the Health and Safety Executive or Vehicle Operators’
Services Agency.
Skid car at a CarKraft experience
day |
|
| "Many employers do not
understand the notion that they could be liable in terms of
the law" |
PC Spencer says: “A routine spot check or the way a vehicle
is loaded could tell us something about the way a business is run
and that it could be flouting regulations. That could lead to a
major investigation.”Companies and individuals may be prosecuted
for a range of offences, from aiding and abetting a crime to be
committed to facing charges such as corporate manslaughter, which
could result in fines running into millions of pounds for businesses
and senior staff facing prison sentences.
The “driving your business risk down” education strategy
has been launched as part of the countywide road safety partnership
and casualty reduction policy.“We have been very dynamic and
many of the practices we have introduced have been picked up by
other police forces and local authorities,” says PC Spencer.“Health
and safety is not an option and, whatever happens, companies must
embrace all issues and that includes occupational road risk. It
is proven time and again that actions taken by companies can prevent
a tragedy. If something does go wrong then people are facing custodial
sentences. But some companies have their priorities back to front
and it amazes me how naive some companies are when there is so much
potential.”Central to the county’s at-work driving educational
strategy is the employment of an occupational road risk officer,
supported by a sub-group from the police force’s casualty
reduction strategy.
The work involves visits to businesses, seminars, meetings and presentations.PC
Spencer says: “The implications of companies doing nothing
are immense both for themselves and individuals. But we can deliver
a package of ideas, information and a complete toolbox of best practice
policies to ensure drivers are safe. “Whatever help companies
want we will deliver to enable them to put in place occupational
road risk strategies that are right for them and reduce casualties.”
For further information, call Maureen Simpson,
road safety officer, Northamptonshire County
Council on: Tel: 01604 237221
E-mail: msimpson@northamptonshire.gov.uk
Guide to keeping safe – and
saving money
The CD ROM Understanding Occupational Road Risk –
a Guide for Employers is a step-by-step guide to help businesses
develop policies to keep their vehicles and drivers safer
– and to save money.The CD, which has 246 separate
sections, includes:
- A guide and description of the issues
- Web links to useful sites
- A framework for policies companies can complete and
adopt
- Powerpoint presentations for senior managers,
line managers and employees
- Documentation to adopt
- Analysis tools
CD ROM’s available from your local road safety officer
WINNER OF THE FLEET SERVICE AWARD
Sponsored by Roxby Media Ltd
www.larsoa.org.uk
|
Black boxes aim to put brakes on police car
collisions
Black boxes that record and store a range of information about
vehicle journeys and driving behaviour are being fitted to police
vehicles in Northamptonshire. The devices, which are known as
Incident Data Recorders (IDRs), were fitted to 70 marked police
vehicles across the county in the autumn as part of a year-long
pilot project aimed at reducing collisions involving police vehicles.
In 12 months to August 2004, 356 police vehicles were involved
in collisions or incidents on the county’s roads, and 13
officers suffered injuries as a result. This has led to vehicles
being off the road for some time and has also led to an increase
in the cost of vehicle insurance for the force, which is keen
to reduce both costs and injury to its staff.
Northamptonshire police’s senior collision investigator
PC John Spencer says: “IDRs have been used by a number of
police forces for a number of years and have led to a reduction
in police vehicle collisions of approximately 21%. “The
devices provide high-quality, reliable, independent data indicating
how the vehicle was being driven at the time of an incident. “The
data will assist the investigation of police vehicle collisions,
but will not replace existing investigative procedures. It may
also support the driver’s version of the sequence of events
in any investigation process after an incident or collision. ”The
IDRs fitted to Northamptonshire’s vehicles not only record
any incidents, but also incorporate a journey data recorder that
constantly records all vehicle usage, enabling a sequence of events
lasting minutes and hours before any incident occurring to be
studied. PC Spencer adds: “We are keen to reduce collisions
and associated stress, injuries and costs from police vehicle
collisions in this county and hope this project will be beneficial
to the force as a whole as well as to officers, police staff and
the wider public. ”
The main aims of the pilot project are:
- To increase the level of staff safety
- To reduce the number of police vehicles involved in road
traffic collisions and any resulting injuries
- To moderate driver behaviour
- To give support to staff when investigating collisions
- To safeguard staff where driver behaviour is in dispute
- To reduce the cost of vehicle insurance
The information recorded includes speed, operation of the brakes,
forwards and sideways acceleration, operation of lights and emergency
warning equipment (including blue lights and sirens). Following
any impact, the IDR will activate the incident mode and retain
60 seconds of precise information, 40 seconds prior to impact
and 20 seconds post impact. The device is capable of storing eight
separate incidents within its memory and up to 28 days of journey
data. Data gathered is downloaded on to a laptop computer, including
from the scene of an incident if necessary, and analysed to a
number of precision levels depending on the seriousness and circumstances
of the incident. There will also be some dip sampling of the data
to monitor driver behaviour. If the year-long pilot project is
successful, the hope is that IDRs will be fitted in Northamptonshire
police’s whole fleet of 393 marked and unmarked vehicles.
Vulnerable groups receive safety boost
|
| “Some returning to
biking have bought enormously powerful machines, but their
skills don’t match the performance of their bikes” |
Two major operations have been launched in Northamptonshire designed
to cut crash numbers involving motorcyclists and young car drivers.
During the past few years, there has been a large increase in the
number of motorcyclists riding high-performance machines. However,
there has been a disproportionate increase in the number of rider
casualties. Last year’s 36% rise in motorcycle deaths and
serious injuries on the county’s roads also coincided with
dry and sunny weather during most weekends from April to September.
In 2003, bikers represented 22% of all killed and seriously injured
road casualties (122) in the county, whereas motorcyclists accounted
for only 4% of all road traffic.
Nationally in 2003, around 28,000 riders were killed or injured.
PC John Spencer, senior collision investigator with Northamptonshire
Police and the force’s casualty reduction officer, says: “Two-thirds
of motorcycle accidents are at weekends and most collisions are
in perfect weather and in daylight – unlike most other vehicle
accidents. Along with young car drivers, they are the two most vulnerable
groups according to accident figures. ”As a result BikeKraft,
a rider improvement scheme co-ordinated by Northamptonshire Police
in partnership with Northamptonshire County Council Road Safety
Centre and the Institute of Advanced Motorists, was launched. To
date, more than 600 motorcyclists have attended a free assessment
ride with a police motorcyclist and the majority have gone on to
undertake advanced rider tuition with IAM and their IAM test. While
the tuition is free, the test, taken by a police examiner, costs
£45. In addition, the force also holds three free intensive
rider improvement days annually at Rockingham Motor Speedway arena,
Corby, with each event attracting 80 bikers. Meanwhile, a number
of organisations in Northamptonshire, including the police and county
council as well as motorcycle groups, have united to form the Motorcycle
Casualty Reduction Forum to “shape and influence a strategy
to reduce motorcycle collisions”.
An officer briefs bikers
at a BikeKraft experience day |
|
“We are keen to reduce
collisions and associated stress, injuries and costs from
police vehicle collisions in
this county” |
Measures taken include using collision analysis to identify the
most dangerous roads in terms of motorcycle casualties and making
engineering improvements to the roads. Last year, 14 routes were
identified and to date nine have been re-engineered. In addition
to those activities, Northamptonshire police launched “Operation
Biker” this year to provide a co-ordinated approach to reducing
motorcycle casualties. This has involved additional schemes, events
and measures being organised and taken, aimed at reducing the “unacceptable
number of deaths and injuries involving motorcyclists”. PC
Spencer says: “Education and engineering interventions are
at the forefront of the campaign, but there have also been a number
of enforcement campaigns targeted at problem bikers so as not to
interfere with the vast majority of law-abiding riders in Northamptonshire.
”“Many riders are over 25 years old and have bought
a bike, but have very few riding skills. Other people are returning
to biking and have bought enormously powerful machines, but their
skills don’t match the performance of their bikes. ”In
the first seven months of this year, there had been 20% fewer biker
deaths and injuries compared to the same period last year.
The Northamptonshire Casualty Reduction Partnership has set a target
of no more than 67 killed or seriously injured rider casualties
a year by 2010. Meanwhile, car drivers aged 17-24 – many of
them tomorrow’s company car, van and HGV drivers – represent
20% of all driver casualties, but just 8% of all licence holders.
As a result, CarKraft, a young driver improvement scheme coordinated
by Northamptonshire Police in partnership with the county council’s
Road Safety Centre, the Northamptonshire and Corby IAM groups, Octagon
Motorsports based at Silverstone, Tyres Northampton and Toyo Tyre
(UK), has been established. Since its launch two years ago, a total
of 650 youngsters have taken the CarKraft course, which encourages
them to enhance their driving skills and develop greater awareness.
Following an initial driver assessment from a police advanced driver,
the young drivers receive tuition from IAM volunteers (£5
administration fee) and learn vehicle handling skills on the Silverstone
Circuit before taking their IAM advanced driving test (£45).
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