Transport for London’s (TfL’s) efforts to improve road safety in the capital have been recognised as outstanding at a European level.
TfL has received the Preventing Road Accidents and Injuries for the Safety of Employees (PRAISE) award for a rigorous safety programme, which has improved the standards of its own drivers and throughout its whole supply chain.
Every driver working for or on behalf of TfL is required to undertake vital safety measures, with risk assessments, training and requirements for accreditation to best-practice schemes, such as Fors, helping to boost driver safety throughout the capital and beyond.
TfL said it has achieved this by both mandating all directly employed drivers to require these, and writing Work Related Road Risk (WRRR) requirements into all contracts. Businesses that fail to keep to the clauses risk contract termination.
Ian Wainwright (pictured), head of freight and fleet at TfL, said: “Road safety is a shared responsibility. We help others improve their road safety, but it is vital we lead the way. That’s why we are so pleased to be recognised at a European level for this comprehensive work. We are committed to improving the safety of our own fleet and every driver working on our behalf. The methods we have used are transferable. Any business or organisation can help us all have safer roads.”
Antonio Avenoso, executive director of European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), said: “Road safety is everyone’s business. But organisations, large and small, have a pivotal role to play by putting road safety considerations at the heart of their operations.”
The ETSC cited the importance of Fors and Clocs in driving improvements throughout supply chains.
Operators must meet best practice standards such as accreditation to Fors and drivers must be trained in approved courses, such as Safe Urban Driving, to be WRRR compliant.
TfL said the Fors standard ensures that all vehicles have close-proximity warning systems and blind-spot mirrors and that a programme of progressive training for drivers exists.
It added that WRRR requirements are an effective way for all organisations to proactively reduce risk of serious accidents in supply chains, and it encouraged other organisations to use their buying power to improve road safety for all road users.
- TfL will be speaking at next week's Freight in the City Expo on 27 October at London's Alexandra Palace. Book your free place now to attend the one-day urban logistics exhibiton and seminar programme.