The move is designed to ensure 4,000 employees will have their driving skills individually assessed and, where necessary, improved to ensure they become more advanced and safer drivers technically, practically and behaviourally.
Concerned at the risk of its employees being involved in road incidents while behind the wheel on business, ATS Euromaster recruited DriveTech (UK) Limited, a company that specialises in reducing occupational road risk and improving driving standards. DriveTech’s role is to define and deliver assessment and training to ensure ATS Euromaster employees can minimise the risk of collisions and other incidents happening.
Together, they have designed a rolling programme to assess employees’ driving skills over the next 12 months. Initially, each driver will undertake an individual driving assessment that identifies risk level while driving, based on attitude, knowledge and driving history. This will be supported by a driving licence check, through the DVLA, to confirm their entitlement to drive.
Once the driver’s risk level has been identified – low, medium and high – different follow-up activities are instigated. Driver’s identified as low risk will be presented with their ATS Euromaster Permit to Drive, the medium risk drivers will undergo driving workshops to sharpen their driving skills and those identified as high risk will work with DriveTech’s team of instructors and undertake practical on-the-road driver training in order to improve their driving standards.
LÉon Atkins, ATS Euromaster’s group health, safety and corporate affairs director, sponsored the initiative and was one of the first to receive his Permit to Drive. He said: “Statistics show driving a vehicle at work is one of the UK’s most dangerous business activities. ATS Euromaster has thousands of employees covering countless miles every year and I for one do not want any of us to become one of those statistics.
“ATS Euromaster is a high-profile employer and while accidents will always occur, it is imperative we have in place measures to reduce the potential for injury among our employees. Working with DriveTech has enabled us to come up with a constructive programme whereby everyone benefits.
“There is no test involved so there won’t be any failures, just improvement all round in driving abilities.”
Jim Kirkwood, managing director at DriveTech, added: “ATS Euromaster is clearly at the forefront of reducing occupational road risk for their employees, their customers and the communities in which they operate. I believe the Safe2Drive scheme will form the benchmark for businesses that wish to reduce road risk across multiple operational facilities throughout the UK.”
