Campaign to stamp out tired driving

The Fleet Safety Forum, an initiative coordinated by Brake, the road safety charity, is urging companies to tackle the silent killer of driver tiredness in a campaign launched this week.

The Wake Up! Campaign is calling on employers to do more to manage drivers’ schedules and health to prevent driver tiredness, particularly during the recession when employees might be under pressure to get more work done. The charity has produced a free information pack for fleet managers and their drivers giving straightforward guidance to help them recognise the signs of tiredness on the road and prevent tired driving in the first place.

The information pack is free from the charity to the first 50 companies who call 01484 559909 quoting ‘wake up’. Companies that subscribe to the Fleet Safety Forum also receive the information for free.

Employers can also attend a low-cost ‘Wake up!’ workshop being run by the charity this autumn in central Leeds in partnership with Clockwork Research and exploring best practice ways to manage the risk of tiredness among company drivers. The workshop is taking place on 5 November but places are expected to book up early, so register today by calling 01484 559909.

Research by Brake on driver tiredness among fleet drivers has found that one in ten at-work drivers admit to having fallen asleep at the wheel, compared with one in 20 drivers who don’t drive for work. Half of at-work drivers admit to getting behind the wheel after less than five hours’ sleep, compared to 35% of drivers who don’t drive for work.

Roz Cumming, Fleet Safety Forum manager at Brake, said: “Driver tiredness is a deadly and major killer that can creep up on a company with no warning, particularly during times when business is tough, unless commonsense risk management practices are applied. I urge fleet managers to support the Wake Up! Campaign and help Brake to save lives by attending this important workshop and calling us for our free information pack.”