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Health, Safety & Environmental Bulletin No 038

J Brown – 17 April 2007

Driving Safely

It has been estimated that up to a third of all road traffic accidents involve somebody who is at work at
the time. This may account for over 20 fatalities and 250 serious injuries every week.

Many accidents happen due to inattention or distraction, a badly maintained vehicle, or failure to
observe the Highway Code.

When you are driving to and from work you actually carry out a risk assessment so that you can get to
your destination safely. You do this by looking at weather conditions and adjusting your speed or
departure time etc to try and avoid a situation whereby you feel under pressure and are unable to
meet a schedule which encourages you to drive to fast for the conditions or exceed the speed limit.

• Ensure that the vehicle is serviced at regular intervals to keep them roadworthy.

• Make sure daily and weekly vehicle checks are carried out.
• When driving ensure both driver and passenger are wearing a seat belt.

• Never break the speed limit.
• Don’t tailgate.
• Never drive in adverse weather conditions - High winds, Blizzards etc.
• Always check the weather conditions and plan your route and departure time to ensure that
you are not putting yourself or others in danger.
• Never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs or even prescribed drugs that can make
you drowsy (always consult your doctor and read the label).
• Never use a mobile phone whilst driving.

Remember - be safety conscious, the responsibility is yours to prevent your vehicle from hitting people
in other vehicles, on bikes, horses, or on foot whether they are on the road or footpath. Always drive
with caution, expect other road users to make mistakes.

Never take risks because the risk is someone will die and it could be you.

Be calm, sit quietly for a minute before driving if you are stressed or anxious, upset or even excited.

Never rush if you are late, stop at a lay by or safe place and ring ahead or ask your partner to ring for
you to inform the site and or your supervisor that you are delayed.

Always drive within the speed limits and adjust your speed to suit traffic and road conditions and never
overtake unless you are 100% sure the road ahead is clear.