This document has been developed by the NRSPP to guide companies and fleet managers through the process of developing a safe vehicle purchasing policy. Fleet operators are strongly encouraged to develop such a policy to guide the procurement of vehicles for the organisation. Vehicles covered by the policy can include those purchased, leased, rented or under the operational control of the organisation. Implementation of such a policy allows for improvements in road safety outcomes in an area that may have not previously been considered. Organisations are strongly encouraged to take an active interest in improving their safety on the road. It’s simply good business to do so — common outcomes include: cost savings through the reduction of vehicle crashes, workplace injuries and incidents market development and branding of an organisational safety reputation the demonstration of an organisations commitment to high levels of OH&S confidence in organisational compliance with Workplace Health and Safety legislation. The safe system is the foundation for the NRSPP framework - safe speeds, safe vehicles, safe drivers and safer roads. This safe vehicle purchasing policy only relates to one section of the framework, as such it is only one of a number of policies that make up a systems approach to vehicle safety within an organisation. The implementation of this policy must be considered alongside that of othThe term ‘driver headspace’ has been used by some organisations to refer to the state of mind, or mind-set, of a driver as a result of exposure to a stressful event or adverse circumstance. The National Road Safety Partnership Program (NRSPP) Driver Headspace Working Group approached ARRB Group to carry out research to define, shed light on, and increase understanding of the term ‘driver headspace’, and events that impact on it. As per their initial Project Brief, the research had seven aims; to: 1. identify and categorise sources of driver headspace events 2. understand the prevalence of driver headspace events across different sectors 3. understand the mechanisms by which driver headspace is negatively impacted 4. understand individual differences in the ability to experience and endure driver headspace events 5. understand strategies that drivers do, and could, use to deal with driver headspace events 6. understand the impact of driver headspace events on driver behaviour and performance 7. identify strategies and organisational policies for preventing and mitigating the effects of driver exposure to driver headspace events. A review of the literature, described below, revealed no scientific reference to, or definition of, the term ‘driver headspace’; or to changes in driver headspace, per se, resulting from driver exposure to a stressful event or adverse circumstance. What the literature did reveal, however, is that exposure to a stressful event or adverse circumstance may have negative impacts on psycho-physiological functioning and, in turn, on driver performance and safety. Thus, for the purposes of this study, stressful events or adverse circumstances that may have a negative impact on a driver’s psycho-physiological functioning are referred to as ‘driver headspace events’. ‘Driver Headspace’ thus refers to the state of a driver’s psycho-physiological functioning as a result of exposure to a stressful event or adverse circumstance. Information and data to address these research aims were derived from four primary research activities: * a literature review * a focus group * a workshop at the 4th International Conference on Driver Distraction and Inattention (2015) * an online survey. Findings * Driver headspace events can derive from a myriad of negative and stressful events/circumstances and can be categorised based on whether they occur within or outside the workplace, and on whether they are traumatic or non-traumatic in nature. * There is a high prevalence of driver headspace events across different professional driving work positions due to multiple work-related stressors and increased prevalence of mental health issues. A significant proportion of participants (from the online survey) noted having experienced driver headspace events previously. * Mechanisms that may underlie the impact of stressful events and adverse circumstances on driver psycho-physiological functioning include cognitive distraction, mental fatigue, and physiological changes due to the human stress response. * The impact of stressful events and adverse circumstances on driver psycho-physiological functioning will likely vary according to a number of individual differences, including one’s personality traits and one’s level of social support. * When affected by a driver headspace event, drivers may use a number of strategies to deal with the potential impairments in driving ability it may lead to. Drivers typically: (a) may attempt to deal with the stressful circumstances themselves through a number of different coping strategies, (b) may rely on mindfulness techniques to reduce the human stress response, or (c) seek psychological help from employee assistance programs. * A number of studies suggest that indices of ‘life stress’ (e.g. financial stress, marital troubles) are associated with reduced driving safety (e.g. increased accident risk). Mental health issues, which can follow from prolonged exposure to stressful and adverse circumstances, have also been shown to be associated with driving decrements and increased crash risk. * In general, six strategies are offered to reduce the prevalence of stressful circumstances and help mitigate mental health issues (and, in turn, driver headspace events) within the workplace: – designing and managing work to minimise harm – promoting protective factors at an organisational level to maximise resilience – enhancing personal resilience – promoting and facilitating early help-seeking – supporting worker recovery from mental illness – increasing awareness of mental illness and reducing stigma. The research undertaken in this study reveals that degraded psycho-physiological functioning brought about by exposure to a stressful event or adverse circumstance is a real issue that has not received the empirical attention that it warrants. Further research is needed to gain a more in-depth understanding of the actual prevalence of ‘headspace events’ and their consequences. (Author/publisher)
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