THE UK is moving out of lockdown and that inevitably means more traffic. What are the risks for SME fleets? Will your drivers be safe after months working at home? Such considerations mean that SME firms managing small fleets may need to not only reassess the fleet risk levels, but also re-engage with staff on the part they play in keeping work related road accidents to a minimum. 

One third of all road traffic accidents involve someone who was at work at the time and may account for as many as 20 deaths and 250 serious injuries every week in the UK. According to a whitepaper Road Safety Pays Dividends from the Fleet Industry Advisory Group (FIAG), 20% of drivers are responsible for 80% of fleet maintenance costs.

It’s also worth noting that the impact on a small fleet of having a vehicle off road and a driver unable to work is greater than for a larger fleet, simply because of the numbers involved – suddenly 10 or 20% of a sales force could be not working.

Driving is one of the riskiest activities undertaken during the course of a person’s work. In 2018, 520 working drivers/riders and their passengers were killed together with non-working road users in collisions where at least one driver was working (DfT 2019).

Based on their analyses of STATS19 data over an eight-year period, it is estimated that 39% of killed pedestrians were hit by a driver at work at the time of the crash. This is the equivalent of over nine deaths a month and represents about 1 in 3 road deaths, 1 in 5 seriously injured casualties and 1 in 4 casualties of all severities.

Delivery drivers especially are exposed to high levels of stress given the nature of their work. Organisational and situational factors contribute to these high stress levels. Internet retailing has led to a 27% increase in the number of light goods vehicles below 3.5 tonnes registered between 2011 and 2019. The UK has seen 70% growth in road miles driven by vans over the last 20 years. About half LCVs are registered to private individuals and the rest are registered to companies with men outnumbering women by 10:1, according to the Department for Transport (DfT).

It is not only the human costs related to an accident that is an issues, but other factors come into play:

• Increased vehicle maintenance costs

• Cost of vehicle downtime

• Driver mental health

• Poor customer satisfaction ratings from driver behaviour and late deliveries

• Reputational damage from badly driven vehicles

Venson Automotive Solutions is urging fleet managers to create a cost-effective fleet road safety strategy that adds value in a post Covid world.

For organisations of any size, managing risk to ensure that employees are as safe as possible when out on the road on work related business needs to be a top priority. Fleet managers not only have a legal duty, but also a moral duty to ensure employees who drive for work are protected as far as is reasonably practicable. As the country slowly moves out of lockdown and more business traffic takes to the roads, fleets may need to not only reassess their risk levels but also re-engage with staff on the part they play in keeping work related road accidents to a minimum. 

Simon Staton, Client Management Director at Venson, said the pandemic has accelerated the already rapid changes taking place within business transport.  

“Greener more sustainable fleets with electric and hybrid vehicles, are an important development in helping to reduce pollution levels. However, they could bring with them higher repair costs if staff who drive the vehicles are not given the appropriate training and support. There are benefits – not only to their own safety but also to the success of the business – of reducing the number and cost of accidents at a time when economic uncertainty is putting pressure on the balance sheets of many organisations.” 

Drive iQ, an online driver education and well-being programme endorsed by the UK’s leading fleet motor insurers, has identified a list of ‘new normal’ circumstances likely to increase stress and the risks of accidents.

In the short to medium term, employees travelling to, from and at work are likely to be using motor vehicles rather than public transport, to avoid exposure to the virus. This is also fuelling a longer-term trend towards dramatically increased numbers of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. Furthermore, there is an expected increase in bike and e-scooter riders, particular in urban areas.

While video calls have become established as ‘business as usual’ and employees are more likely to move meetings involving long distance travel to video, local and regional journeys  will become more likely for face-to-face meetings.

Fatigue that we can experience on long drives is well known but less recognised is ‘active fatigue’. This is caused by the mental effort required to navigate city streets or rural roads during relatively short journeys. These risks are also increased by skills-fade, which occurs when skills are not being used frequently. This can be particularly dangerous for drivers, who venture out on busy roads on an irregular rather than routine basis, particularly after a period of driving inactivity.

A 2017 United Nations report, found that remote workers report significantly higher stress and anxiety levels, compared to office workers. The impact of stress is also a contributor to high-risk driver behaviours, creating potential danger when homeworkers do use their vehicles.

DriveIQ suggests the first step businesses should do is to raise awareness of the key issues relating to employee safety and well-being, in relation to their mobility amongst managers in their organisation. Drivers should be equipped with practical strategies relevant to the ‘new normal’, that will help them make positive changes to their behaviours.

“Digital education, such as the Drive iQ platform, enable employees to participate in training at their own pace, from any location – whilst also retaining an easily accessible bank of resources to draw on when needed.”

Training content that employees receive should be tailored to the ‘new normal’ environment covering issues such as:

• Adapting to conditions

• Stress

• Managing your time

• Distractions

• Active and Passive Fatigue

• Mindful driving

• Coping Strategies

• Speed

• Vulnerable road users

• Healthy Habits

Dr Lisa Dorn, Research Director of Cranfield University’s DriverMetrics programme, goes further placing the responsibility for safety in part on unreasonable schedules, performance-related pay, poor practices when recruiting and a lack of support to manage driver stress.

According to a recently published DriverMetrics whitepaper, Multi-drop Delivery Driving: What are the risks?, employers may struggling to recruit good drivers can use tools that assess driver behaviour and provide a targeted intervention and better predict safe driving.

“We recommend that work practices that engender time pressure, fatigue and high workload be reviewed and that behavioural interventions should be put in place to manage driver stress and develop safer coping strategies. Selecting delivery drivers from the outset who are less vulnerable to driver stress would help to ensure that the workforce is more suitable for the job. As well as unsafe driving behaviour, insufficient rest breaks, unreasonably tight deadlines and excessive working hours can lead to an increased risk of conflicts with customers.”

As well as changes to policies and procedures that may be influencing unsafe driving behaviour, companies may wish to implement behavioural interventions using tools such as Cranfield’s Driver Risk Index™, designed to assess behavioural and coping risks.

Studies using the Index have shown that drivers for work are particularly prone to adverse stress and fatigue reactions. The scales have been found to predict various stress outcomes for professional drivers relating to general health, job related stress and daily hassles suggesting a ‘spillover’ effect. That is, driver stress may be reciprocally related to stress in other domains including work and domestic life.

With regards to the stereotype of ‘White Van Man’ media reports suggest high levels of driver aggression for this road user group. Aggression is associated with mastery over other road users and appraising them as hostile. High AGG drivers tend to drive faster, commit more errors and execute more high-risk overtakes than drivers scoring low on AGG. Several studies have shown that high levels of Aggression is associated with crash frequency. The ability to assess this characteristic when recruiting delivery drivers can be an effective method of predicting which drivers may not be suitable for the job. Those that are already employed and vulnerable to responding with aggression when stressed due to work and driving demands can participate in DriverMetrics® stress management online workshops.

Recognising the warning signs

• Aggression: Negative appraisal of other drivers that tend to generate feelings of anger. Unreasonable response to stress situations by escalating the situation such as tail gaiting, road rage and cutting up other vehicles

• Negativity: Regular negative self-appraisal that generates worry and anxiety

• Hazard Monitoring: reflects the active monitoring for hazards to pre-empt threat by constantly being on the look-out and anticipating danger

• Thrill-Seeking: Enjoyment of danger and increased risk taking

• Fatigue and apathy: Vulnerability to suffer with driver fatigue and general lack of energy and alertness

How Fleet Manager Can Help Their Drivers

Be aware and be alert for significant and repetitive behaviour changes. Typically becoming quieter, more distant or unreasonably irritable. When you recognise this try to initiate a conversation. A 10 minute chat can make all the difference. Try to listen and help them to be open about their problems.

Stress from overwork or struggling to complete schedules has been reported as one of the greatest problems. A caring organisation will involve drivers in setting work schedules. Try to be adaptable as possible and work around other priorities such as their family commitments. Check in regularly and be prepared to make changes.

Many people suffer from stress from external pressures such as home life, money issues, health problems and not necessarily their health. By taking an active interest in aspects outside of work you can give drivers a safe place to discuss their problems and space to try and sort them out.

Fatigue, apathy and general poor health are strong indicators of mental health issues. Try to encourage staff to look after their own mental health by recognising symptoms. Encourage rest, exercise, hydration and healthy eating and developing a positive mental attitude such as practicing self-compassion and mindfulness.

Support In The Workplace

Ensure your drivers know you have their back. Simply recognising that drivers are under huge pressure and having some support systems in place will make a huge difference. Ultimately your employees have to trust that if they come to you with their problems this will not be held against them and they will be fully supported.

• Create a ‘safe zone’ mental health hub of people employees can turn to if they need help

• Ensure key personnel get mental health training as you would with First Aiders

• Be open and speak about mental health at work so you remove the stigma. Group discussions can be helpful as people will open up if they feel they are in a safe place

• Get and give feedback on a regular basis as this demonstrates a positive attitude to mental health issues

• Remind employees they are not alone Be compassionate and understanding during any discussions

• If people continue to struggle, encourage and support them to work with a mental health professional

Fleet Drivers Experienced Mental Decline

Research from leasing company Alphabet shows nearly two thirds of fleet drivers found their mental health has been affected, when driving for work during the pandemic. 35% of fleet drivers experienced a rise in stress levels due to the pandemic

• Nearly 1 in 3 drivers have been working longer hours throughout the pandemic, with 25% covering other job roles and experiencing increased workloads

• Tiredness and stress caused the biggest impact on their mindsets

• Younger age groups were most likely to be impacted, with 67% of 18–24-year-olds and 44% of 25–34-year-olds acknowledging their mental health was often affected.

Having faced ongoing changes and restrictions for nearly a year, it’s no surprise the pandemic has added to mental health concerns. In fact, Alphabet’s research showed that 35% of fleet drivers have seen their stress levels increase, correlating with a reported rise in working hours and workloads. Over half of drivers added that road structures and additional traffic calming measures introduced since last March, have caused further stress.

Nick Brownrigg, Alphabet (GB) CEO,  said that now, more than ever, the fleet industry needs to shine a spotlight on mental wellbeing and create an open forum to accelerate discussions around mental health.

“It’s important that drivers are not only aware of the resources available to them, but also feel empowered to make use of them and be their authentic self within the workplace. By establishing supportive, ongoing dialogue and discussing mental health in the right way, we can shape how it’s perceived within our organisations and across the industry. This needs to be at the heart of our duty of care as employers, to ensure drivers are kept safe and feel comfortable seeking the support they need.”

 It’s Not Only About The Driver

Many vehicles have been lightly used or not driven at all during lockdown. They will need a thorough check, possibly a service or maintenance before going back on the road.

ATS Euromaster says that forward planning is essential now to ensure optimum fleet uptime when business starts returning to normal. The tyre replacement and service centre specialist points out that there will be increased pressure on maintenance and bodyshop bays. Mark Holland, Operations Director from ATS Euromaster, comments:

“It’s important to remember that the usual service centres that fleets use will also have been under pressure from COVID-19, with reduced staff cover due to coronavirus or through staff furlough. So this will increase demand on the maintenance bays and potentially impact vehicle uptime.

“While we have kept the vast majority of our ATS Euromaster centres open during lockdown and continue to ensure our emergency blue light contracts are fully serviced and prioritised, we have still been impacted by the pandemic and staff sickness, with resultant extension of waiting times.

“We would suggest that fleets start preparing to restart as soon as safely possible while most fleets are in downtime, to ensure the fleet is ready to go when lockdown does eventually end.”

Holland continued: “Ensuring fleet uptime is a critical part of fleet management, so planning and preparation now is essential to ensure a fleet returns to operational status successfully when required. Failure to plan properly could result in unwanted vehicle downtime, which could impact business return to profitability.”

Among ATS Euromaster suggestions for fleets are:

• For vehicles that have been laid up or little used for the past year, consider a free Duty of Care service inspection to ensure drivers can return to work safely and securely

• Consider booking any tyre replacement early – stocks of some tyres will be low and may require a few weeks for order, delivery and fitment

• Check tyre wear, damage and quality on vehicles that have been sitting for the past few months

• Ensure vehicle servicing that may have been delayed during lockdown is now booked in to ensure full vehicle maintenance

• Check the MOT status of vehicles – the coronavirus extension has now unwound. It’s possible that due to oversight the MOT has been missed. So check vehicles to ensure that they are roadworthy – the fine is £1000 and your insurance would automatically be invalidated

• Some parts and items will require ordering and lead times for replacement parts are extended by weeks

• Sort out minor accident damage on vehicles sustained during the recent cold snap.

See: Why Safety Should Be Central To Small Fleets

Main image: Barna Bartis; second image: Sinitta Leunen

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DOWNLOAD: Driver Mental Health Awareness Guide

• Nearly 1 in 3 drivers have been working longer hours throughout the pandemic

• Tiredness and stress caused the biggest impact on their mindsets

• 35% of fleet drivers have seen stress levels increase

Can you spot the signs?

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