Improved Safety on the Road for Occupational Drivers

If you drive for a living then you face a unique set of challenges to stay safe while on Britain’s roads. Fatigue and the frustration of being late for deliveries or appointments are just two of the additional problems that an occupational driver faces and if you’re in that position, here are five top tips for improving road safety.

1 – Avoid Distractions: Occupational drivers, more than anyone else will have need at times to talk on their mobile phone. Maybe you need to confirm an appointment time or call ahead to tell your customer that you’re going to be late. It is imperative therefore that you have a hands free kit installed in the car or better still, if you have time, pull over to a safe place to make the call. The law on mobile phones is there for a reason and it simply isn’t safe to have one hand on your phone while driving, particularly in built up, major cities such as London, Edinburgh, Birmingham and others.

2 – Avoid unnecessary lane changing: The streets of our major cities pose endless problems with multi–lane one way systems that require complete concentration at all times. London in particular is a major headache with a large network of ring roads and you can quickly find yourself in the wrong lane. Don’t be tempted to change lanes at speed unless it is completely safe to do so. It–s far better to put safety first and navigate the ring road again if you have to.

3 – Invest in a Satellite Navigation System: Motorists will tend to look at Sat Navs as a time saving device but they are handy safety features too. A significant percentage of accidents involving occupational drivers concerns those who are either speeding or distracted because they are lost and late for a delivery or appointment. Sat Navs can obviously help you to avoid getting lost as anyone who has ever had to negotiate a network such as Spaghetti Junction outside Birmingham without one will tell you but they can also help you to avoid roadworks and get to your appointment on time without having to take risks.

4 – Avoid stress and tiredness: Driving for a living involves long journeys: Maybe you have to drive from London to Leeds or worse still, Exeter to Newcastle. The temptation for many drivers on tight timeframes is to complete the journey in one go but it’s inevitable that stress and⁄or tiredness will take over at some point. The Department of Transport recommends that all drivers take a fifteen minute break every two hours and try to drink up to two cups of coffee in that time. Research from Loughborough University has also confirmed that this is the best way to get relief from tiredness.

5 – Apply common sense: It’s incredible to see that some injuries sustained following accidents have been as a result of drivers not wearing seat belts. This is a basic safety requirement that must be adhered to but there are other safety areas that we take for granted these days. Most cars in modern production are fitted with air bags and ABS brakes as standard. Parking sensors are also common but not always fitted and these can be purchased as ‘add ons’ at car accessory stores. If you’re looking at BMW Cars for sale for example, it makes sense to check if all the basic safety features are present on any car that you’re looking to purchase.

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This page was last updated
Friday, 07-Oct-2011

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Improved Safety on the Road for Occupational Drivers