In recent years, a small number of organisations have employed workplace driving safety/fleet safety programs that have led to significant reductions in accidents and driver and vehicle safety costs. The tremendous potential for these kinds of programs to achieve improvements in driver and vehicle safety is now being recognised by road safety authorities in many states in Australia. In New South Wales (NSW), the State Government is taking the lead by making fleet safety part of its platform for improving road safety over the next ten years, the Fleetsafe project. The paper considers how fleet safety programs can stretch the road safety dollar further. It also examines the benefits of fleet safety to organisations and gives examples of organisations that achieved significant cost savings and other benefits from fleet safety programs. In addition, the paper looks at an award winning fleet safety policy project in a grouping of Councils in Sydney examining how it was managed and the key concepts that underpin this policy. Some brief examples of other best practice workplace road safety are considered, such as the way fleet safety has become part of the mainstream occupational health program in Australia's largest telecommunications company. The paper examines some of the useful "tools" which offer great potential for use in fleet safety programs, such as driver discussion groups. Finally the paper considers some of the issues which will impact on the future of fleet safety in NSW.
Abstract