Driving for Better Business (DfBB) has launched a new Local Road Safety Partner Toolkit, a free 45‑minute online masterclass designed specifically for local authority teams, police and fire and rescue services.
The toolkit explains the scale of work‑related road risk, outlines employer responsibilities, and provides practical, ready‑to‑use resources to help local authorities engage businesses in their area.
It also identifies five immediate actions partnerships can take, supported by downloadable materials, to start reducing collisions involving at‑work drivers.
The toolkit is available to access via the DfBB website.
For local road safety professionals, understanding where collisions originate is essential to reducing casualties. A significant proportion of serious incidents on local roads involve someone driving for work, yet this risk is often hidden in plain sight.
National Highways’ DfBB programme highlights that at least a third of fatal and serious collisions involve at least one person who was driving for work. Van drivers, in particular, are involved in more road deaths per mile travelled than any other user group.
For local authorities and safer roads partnerships, this represents both a challenge and a major opportunity: tackling work‑related road risk can deliver meaningful, measurable improvements in local casualty reduction.
DfBB says the New Year offers the perfect moment for employers to refocus on safe, compliant and efficient fleet operations. Many organisations naturally use January to reset priorities, refresh policies and reinforce expectations.
Encouraging local businesses to review how they manage employees who drive for work aligns perfectly with this renewed focus. Whether they rely heavily on commercial vehicles or simply have a handful of grey fleet drivers, every employer has legal responsibilities to manage driving risk – and many welcome support in understanding what “good” looks like.
A clear, well‑structured Driving for Work policy is central to this. As the free DfBB Policy Builder explains, employers must set out expectations around driver competence, vehicle safety, journey planning, mobile phone use, fatigue, impairment and what to do in the event of a collision.
A robust policy not only protects employees and the public – it reduces business costs, improves efficiency and ensures compliance with health and safety legislation. Crucially, policies must be reviewed regularly to remain effective and legally compliant, especially as guidance and legislation evolve.
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