NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY WEEK 2023: 19-25 NOVEMBER

This week is National Road Safety Week (19-25 November). As a FORS Silver Status transport company and a responsible haulage provider, we’re committed to road safety. We’re constantly working to ensure compliance, we have a strong focus on driver training and we prioritise cycle safety through our Cycle Safe Campaign.

Road Safety Week aims to inspire schools, organisations and communities to take action on road safety and promote life-saving messages during the Week and beyond. It gives us the chance to remember people killed or injured on UK roads, and raise funds to help care for road victims. 

Road Safety Week is coordinated by the charity Brake. Brake works to stop road deaths and injuries, support people affected by road crashes and campaign for safe and healthy mobility for all.

THEME FOR 2023: LET’S TALK ABOUT SPEED

This year’s theme asks the question: Five people die on roads every day – so why do we still think it’s OK to speed? The 2023 campaign will start the conversation about why speeding is thought of as acceptable in some situations, what happens when we speed and why reducing speed saves lives. 

The theme was set following discussions with representatives from community groups, the police, Government, businesses, educators and other charities. Awareness of the key areas of road safety that the Government supports will be raised, including safe roads, safe vehicles and speeds, the new hierarchy of road users, and the importance of inclusivity to keep us all safe on the roads, no matter who we are or how we travel.

FORS SILVER STATUS

In October 2018, TJ gained the highly-regarded FORS silver status and we continue to maintain this exceptional standard – 2023 marked our sixth consecutive year. The FORS (Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme) silver accreditation is awarded to operators that maintain Bronze accreditation and have developed driver licensing verification systems. To further meet the strict criteria, vehicles over 3.5 tonnes must be equipped with a left-turn audible warning system and fitted with blind-spot minimisation devices.

DRIVER TRAINING

TJ holds an annual training event during which drivers receive training to update their skills and learn new ones. There are also different training requirements that need to be met to satisfy different customers, such as holding a Passport Scheme competency card to enter sites or a Site Safety Awareness (MPQC) Card which also covers vulnerable road user training. Drivers must also complete 35 hours of periodic training every five years in order to be able to continue to drive commercially. That’s another day per year dedicated to road and driver safety.

CYCLE SAFETY

TJ’s fleet of lorries are frequent road users and all TJ’s drivers are advocates for cycle safety. As part of TJ’s commitment to managing work related road risk (WRRR), particularly regarding vulnerable road users such as cyclists, TJ created its Cycle Safe Campaign in 2016 to raise awareness and to reduce the HGV / cyclist dangers.

The initiatives implemented as part of the campaign are:

• Annual driver induction
• Annual driver assessment
• MPQC Vulnerable Road User course
• Toolbox Talks
• Vehicle safety features, such as 360-degree camera systems, side under-run guards and audible left-turn warnings
• Public interaction events, called ‘Exchanging Places’, with TJ vehicles and drivers

AWARDS

Since the introduction of the Cycle Safe campaign, TJ has won two awards. The first was a national award for leading the way with cycle safety. The accolade was awarded by CEMEX, a leader in the building materials industry.

TJ also won the Transport for London award for reducing occupational road risk for the company’s drivers and helping to make our roads safer. Criteria for the award included showing how technology, management systems and behavioural initiatives can reduce road accidents.

TJ’s Managing Director John Gosling said: “This award represents how we have overhauled our approach to driver training, with the clear aim of achieving a working environment free of accidents and ill health. Our online training portal has enabled the driver training to be consistent, interactive and trackable, as well as improving the ease of delivery of inductions, both internal and external, for our mobile workforce.”

STATS

According to data released in the spring from the Department for Transport (DfT):

• The latest report showed an 8.7% increase in the number of road deaths in 2022 compared to the previous year. However, these statistics are more in line with the figures that were released in 2019 – before the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The total number of fatalities increased from 1,558 in 2021 to 1,695 in 2022.
• Motorcyclist deaths rose by 44 to a total of 354.
• Pedestrian deaths as a result of a road incident increased by 15 to 376 in 2022.
• E-scooters deaths grew to 12 – this is two more than the previous year.
• Cyclists were the only road user type to report a drop in the total of road fatalities in 2022. In total there were 85 deaths, 26 fewer than in 2021. 
• However, the number of cyclists seriously injured on the roads saw an increase of 500, taking the total to 5,602.

Find out more about TJ’s commitment to road safety and driver training and find out more about the services provided by TJ Waste and TJ Transport…

Sources:
brake.org.uk
rac.co.uk