Highways England has hosted a high-level summit to promote work-related road safety to private sector businesses.
The Driving for Better Business Private Sector Summit, for CEOs, board directors and fleet decision makers from some of the UK’s leading businesses, took place at McLaren’s new Thought Leadership Centre.
Part of UN Global Road Safety week, which this year had the theme of Leadership, the event featured speeches on that theme from the private and public sector and the UN – encouraging businesses to take greater accountability to ensure compliance around safe driving practices.
Simon Turner, campaign director at Driving For Better Business said: ‘The Driving for Better Business programme is designed to help the private sector understand its role in managing those who drive for work, and the contribution it makes in keeping the country’s strategic road network flowing.
‘The factors around riding or driving for work have changed significantly in recent years. Promoting safe, sustainable mobility is now more important than ever as companies look to reduce both business risk and their impact on the environment. Leaders need to be seen to back robust policies that ensure compliance with existing legislation, and to have a firm grip on all their fleet activity.’
Speaking at the summit, Highways England chief executive Jim O’Sullivan (pictured) said: ‘Whether single lane, dual carriageway or motorway, an incident on our network has serious implications for people and businesses.
‘To put it in perspective, if one lane of the M25 has to be closed, the resultant tailback builds up at about a mile a minute. A fifteen-minute lane closure results in a fifteen-mile tailback.’
He added: ‘We expect drivers who use our roads for business to have the highest standards of driving and compliance. There is no doubt that their companies have a role to play in this, not just for their own employees but right through their supply chains and business networks.’
