More than 100 UK business leaders gathered last week to discuss the importance of leadership and compliance in reducing road incidents on England’s Strategic Road Network (SRN) of motorways and major A-roads.
The Driving for Better Business Private Sector Leadership Summit was held as part of the UN’s Global Road Safety Week.
Key note speeches were delivered by the likes of Jim O’Sullivan, Chief Executive of Highways England, and James Haluch, Managing Director at Amey Highways.
Addressing the delegates, O’Sullivan said, “The Strategic Road Network is vital to the country and the performance of some of the country’s leading sectors – such as logistics and freight, retail and wholesale, construction and manufacturing.
“Whether single lane, dual carriageway or motorway, an incident on the network has serious implications for people and businesses. To put it in perspective, if one lane of the M25 has to be closed, the resultant tailback builds up at about a mile a minute. A fifteen-minute lane closure results in a fifteen-mile tailback.
“We expect drivers who use our roads for business to have the highest standards of driving and compliance. There is no doubt that their companies have a role to play in this, not just for their own employees but right through their supply chains and business networks.”
Darren Lindsay, Corporate Public Affairs Africa & Middle East and Safe Mobility at Michelin and Member of the UN Road Safety Collaboration Working Group on Work-Related Road Safety, said, “In 1990 there were 5,000 fatalities on the road and we’ve reduced this by a factor of three. One of the major contributors of this is technology, however, we still have a long way to go to educate road users.
“Driving for Better Business is very important for sharing best practice to harness what is important in road safety, and I believe we can all lead by example and be accountable for our actions.”
Presentations were also delivered at the event by DfBB ‘Business Champions:’ companies that have implemented the Driving For Better Business programme and as a result are experiencing a host of benefits to their business including reductions in insurance claims, lower maintenance costs, repair costs, admin costs, fuel use and emissions.
Summing up the event, Simon Turner, Campaign Manager, Driving For Better Business said:
“4 million vehicles use the Strategic Road Network every day – comprising approximately 4,400 miles of motorways and major trunk roads – travelling 85 billion miles, and carrying 1 billion tonnes of freight each year.”
“Understandably, leaders have many issues they must contend with to run their respective organisations and we have found that often, elements that contribute to work-related road safety are not as high on their agendas as they should be.”
“However, the factors around riding or driving for work have changed significantly in recent years. Promoting safe, sustainable mobility is now more important than ever as companies look to reduce both business risk and their impact on the environment. Leaders need to be seen to back robust policies that ensure compliance with existing legislation, and to have a firm grip on all their fleet activity. We are also calling on them to extend that leadership beyond their own firms, sharing good practice and demanding the same high standards of their own supply chains.”
A full review of the Summit with video and additional images can be found at https://www.drivingforbetterbusiness.com/private-sector-summit/
