Good afternoon, Does your organisation still insist on giving their own driving assessment to all staff who use ordinary low powered plain cars, for example lease cars such as diesel Astras and the like? The question is obviously directed at organisations who have the capability to carry out such assessments. If so, why, and how does the organisation justify them in these cash strapped times? The arguement is that if we are asking them to do no more that is required by the ordinary driving test, then shouldn't that be sufficient assessment? Granted there would need to be a check to make sure that they still have a licence! However, if the HSE are thinking of bringing work related RTCs into the realms of RIDDOR, are those that think there should be additional assessments right? Thanks Clive

This is a very interesting idea with some rather costly methods of dealing with it. The British driving test has been updated over recent years but is only the minimum required to demonstrate driving competence. For example it does not cover motorway driving in practice simply theory. How can a driver be deemed competent say twenty years after passing his/her driving test. If you wish to introduce a company driving test you will need to set down the minimum competency mark and work from there. Have you considered what your insurance company would require you to do before they will continue cover for your employees etc. This is a very difficult area and we must wait and see what both the insurance companies ask for and what the HSE stipulate is the minimum requirement.

I would first of all like to cover the issue of justification. If your accident statistic reveal a significant number of vehicle related incidents you will most probably find that the insurance excess for each incident is, when added up very significant which in its self could be sufficent justification for assessing each of your drivers. I have in the past undertaken such a process and in joint agreement with the company insurers and the RAC completed an on-line assessment for all 500 drivers in the company. The on-line assessment will aid in identifying high risk drivers who can then be further assessed and mentored at the wheel by an appointed assessor. You should see reductions in RTCs and subsequently financial savings.

A few years back I was with a company who brought BSM in to assess all drivers from car to LGV I found it a worthwhile exercise and it reduced our insurance premiums. If cash was available I would I would try to implement it again as I feel the assessment outlay would be cheaper than the higher insurance premiums and repair costs we are suffering. Ta Alex

Bob, I'm sure you KNOW the answer. In UK there are only several thousand MEWPs, but there's 20 million cars, so the reason is statistics. If there were 20 MEWPs in every UK street I think we'd have more accidents with children. Also MEWP drivers have had training rather than just pass a driving test. But I do take your point that driver assessment is an area that, well, there is a need, but who has the time? My last employer, though, did get every company driver go through a RoSPA Driver Development course. But only after we'd had a fatality, a driver at high speed left the M5 and flew into a field, possible mobile phone involved. I was one of those drivers on the course and I highly recommend the RoSPA course; to this day I still think of it every time I go on a motorway or along a bendy country road. It really did make me 'more aware' and a better driver. AND my employer also found out (informed by police) that one of their company car drivers was banned 11 months ago! Those kind of things justify a system of assessment, but for the moment all I offer my clients is a sort of 'Toolbox Talk' for company car drivers which covers a lot of driver subjects (Highway Code, 'clean' car, motorways, accident avoidance etc). JohnW