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Road
Safety
Matters
A practical guide
to safe driving
from Colas Rail.
Accidents don’t just happen.
They always have a cause.
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26 What to do if you
have an accident
28 Start your journey right
30 Whatever the weather
A van is not a car
Speed Kills
Watch your back
Park it safe
18
20
22
24
2
Road Safety Matters
Driving is the riskiest thing you
do on a daily basis. And from
time-to-time or as part of your
daily role you may be asked
to drive a vehicle operated
by Colas Rail and we want
you to be safe.
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14
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95% of all on-road vehicle
incidents are caused partially
or wholly by human error.
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3Introduction
4 Safe driving saves lives
6 The first 30 minutes of a
shift are critical
8 Driving while tired is deadly
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Contents
Are you sitting comfortably
Belt up
Park your phone
Driven to distraction
Whether it’s a car, van or lorry,
this guide provides simple,
straightforward advice on how
you, your passengers and your
vehicle can stay safe on the road.
A practical guide to safe driving
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...thats
why
safety
matters
Stay safe!
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Safe
driving
saves
lives...
Personal safety commitments
• I take accountability for the
safety of myself and others
• I always comply with the Life
saving rules
• I will intervene in any situation
if i believe a behaviour or
situation may be unsafe
4 Road Safety Matters
The facts
Last year on UK roads
• 1,713 people killed
• 21,657 people seriously injured
• 160,000 minor injuries
• This equates to 5 deaths and 60 people
seriously injured per day
Work Related Road Driving accounted for
25%-40% of these:
• 428-685 people killed
• 5,414-8,663 people seriously injured
• 40,000-64,000 minor injuries
• This equates to 1-2 deaths and
15-24 seriously per day
The sad fact is that nearly all of these
deaths and injuries are preventable.
Working, and driving safely is everyone’s
responsibility. It’s about taking
responsibility, and doing the right thing,
even when no one else is around.
Never use a hand-held or hands-free
phone, or programme any other mobile
device while driving.
Always
obeyobey
the speed
and
Always
thelimit
speed
wear a seat belt.
limit and
wear a seat belt.
A practical guide to safe driving
5
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Did you know a huge amount
of road accidents happen within
the first 30 minutes of a journey?
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The
first 30
minutes
of a shift
are
critical
You need to make sure that you’re
concentrated and switched on, the
minute you get into your vehicle. If,
for instance, you’ve been out the
night before, had too little sleep or
missed breakfast and are not at
your best then ask yourself, can
you really be in charge of a car and
drive yourself and others safely?
Remember, it’s not just your
welfare that you’re responsible for.
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Road Safety Matters
A practical guide to safe driving
7
Stay safe!
If you find you are suddenly
fighting fatigue, then here are
3 simple emergency tactics:
1. Find somewhere safe to stop
2. Take two strong caffeine drinks
3. Nap for about 15 minutes
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Road Safety Matters
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And because these accidents happen at
speed, the driver has fallen asleep or has
lost concentration, you are 50% more
likely to die or have a serious injury.
The safest thing to do is not to drive
at all if you are feeling tired. You can help
this by:
• Taking 15-minute breaks about every
two hours on the road
• Tell your manager if anything at work or
in your personal life is disrupting your
sleep (e.g. stress, new baby etc.)
• Share the driving wherever possible.
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Tired drivers cause one in five crashes
on UK roads every year and many of
them (40%)involve people who are
driving as part of their job.
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Driving
while
tired is
deadly
Remember, turning up the radio or
winding down the window won’t stop you
nodding off if you’re too tired to drive.
A practical guide to safe driving
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A van is
not a car
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In this country you do not need a
special licence to drive a small or
medium-size-van, and yet vans are
much more likely to rear end a car or
have a collision while reversing.
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Road Safety Matters
If you have to drive a van but have only
driven cars on the road before then make
sure you contact your manager and
request driver coaching before stepping
up in vehicle size and know the maximum
load your vehicle is allowed
Stay safe!
The biggest factor in 50% of van
accidents is driving with an unsafe
load so ensure yours is correctly
positioned and well secured. Loose
tools and equipment can cause you
to lose control of the vehicle and
are proved to increase the risk and
severity of injury.
Here are our top tips for staying safe when
loading your vehicle:
• Never place heavy loads near the rear
doors unless there is other weight in the
centre of the vehicle to balance the load
• Be careful when joining motorways as it
is more difficult to see your blind spot
• Take extra care if the view from your
mirrors is obstructed
• Make sure hazardous equipment and
substances is safety stowed.
The penalty for breaking the safe loading
regulations can result in you being fined
up to £5,000 for each offence!
Remember, Colas Rail never expects
anyone to break the law. and even if you
are on the way to an emergency incident,
Colas vehicles never have any traffic
dispensations and must always follow the
full Highway Code.
A practical guide to safe driving
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Speed
kills
At higher speeds, there is less time
to identify and react to things, it
takes longer to stop and impacts
are much more serious.
The risk of death is four times higher
when a pedestrian is hit at 40mph
than at 30mph.
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Stay safe!
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• Always keep your speed down around
schools, 20’s plenty when kids are
about – and may even be too fast
• Try no higher than 3rd gear in a
30 mph limit
• Recognise what makes you speed keeping up with traffic, overtaking or
being tailgated
• Concentrate – distracted drivers speed
• Slow down when entering villages and
urban areas. Parked vehicles can often
conceal pedestrians about to cross the
road, so cut your speed
• Give yourself time – there’s no need to
speed and you won’t get there quicker
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It’s a fact that drivers who ‘speed’
crash much more often than those
who don’t.
Here are some simple and practical
things to stay within the speed limit:
• Check your speedo often, especially
when leaving high speed roads
• Always match your speed to the type of
road you are on and the road conditions
• Count a 2 second gap between you
and the vehicle in front of you. Double if
conditions are wet/icy
• Assume lamp posts mean 30mph,
unless signs say otherwise
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Road Safety Matters
Maximum speed limits for vans and LGVs
Built up
areas
Single
carriageways
Dual
carriageways
Motorways
Car-derived vans
30mph
60mph
70mph
70mph
Small vans towing trailers
30mph
50mph
60mph
60mph
Vans over 2.0t
maximum weight up to 7.5t
30mph
50mph
60mph
70mph
As above, towing trailer
30mph
50mph
60mph
60mph
Goods vehicles over 7.5t
30mph
40mph
50mph
60mph
A practical guide to safe driving
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Be safe!
Stay
safe!
(SWOV fact sheet 2010)
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Road Safety Matters
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Vans
Vans are
are disproportionally
disproportionally
more
more frequently
frequentlyinvolved
involvedinin
rear
rear ending
ending aa car.
car.
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H
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WAUR
YO CK
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W
HO
AVOID ND
TAIL-E S
T
N
U
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S
Many of CO
LAS Rail’s ac
are caused
cidents
by vehicles
shunting
into one an
other. Even
minor
ones can ca
u
take a mom se personal injury so
en
and make su t to read these tips
re you’re no
receiving en
t on the
d!
• Don’t lose
your cool! If
somebody
is tail-gating
you, let them
overtake
when it is sa
fe to do so
• Always leav
e enough sp
ace
front so you
can stop safe in
ly
somebody b
rakes hard in if
front of
you (remem
ber the 2 se
cond gap!)
• Drop back
so you can sp
ot
hazards earli
er
• Hang bac
k at roundab
outs,
remember to
use defensive
tactics to av
oid accidents driving
A practical guide to safe driving
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A huge number of accidents are
caused by poor parking or low-speed
manoeuvring incidents like reverse
parking and 3-point turns.
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All vehicles suffer from blind spots,
especially vans and lorries. So always
be aware that there is less visibility in a
van than a car and adjust your driving
accordingly.
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Whenever it’s practical to do so, reverse
parking will cut down the chances of you
damaging the vehicle as you leave the
parking space.
Stay safe!
Always try to avoid parking in
narrow roads, opposite driveways,
entrances and junctions or too
close to other vehicles.
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It’s also safer to drive forward out of a
space as visibility is greater.
Here are some things to keep in mind
when parking and reversing:
• Park legally! Remember that parking
tickets are the driver’s responsibility
• Take care at tight access points
• Help each other to reverse (work as
a team)
• Slow down at access points
• Park at a sensible distance from other
vehicles and avoid creating an obstacle
to others
• Always use your side mirrors when
reversing
• If possible always ask your colleague to
get out of the vehicle to guide you
• When reversing always reverse park in
depots and office car parks - this makes
it easier to see pedestrians when you
are leaving a space.
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Park
it safe!
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Road Safety Matters
A practical guide to safe driving
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Stay safe!
If the accident is at low speed, many of
the injuries could be avoided if drivers
adjust their head restraints properly.
18
Road Safety Matters
Too far back
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Follow these guidelines every time you
get into your vehicle – for best protection
the head restraint should be:
• Touching the back of your head,
or as close as possible to it
• At least as high as the top of your
ears, and ideally as high as the top
of your head
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Over 250,000 accidents per year lead to
whiplash injuries – 2,000 of these result
in permanent disabilities.
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Are you
sitting
comfortably?
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The top of the head restraint should
be level with the top of your head and
no lower than 2 inches below – the
minimum is just above the ears.
It should be no more than 2 inches
away from the back of your head.
Correct
A practical guide to safe driving
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Vans drivers sit higher than in cars
so, in the event of an impact there’s
a greater chance of them being
thrown through the windscreen.
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Stay safe!
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BELT UP
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Top tips for seat belt sense:
• The belt should be worn as tight as
possible, with no slack
• The lap belt should go over the pelvic
region, not the stomach
• The diagonal strap should rest over
the shoulder, not the neck
• Nothing should obstruct the smooth
movement of the belt by trapping it
• Passengers need to belt up too; if
they don’t, refuse to move off. It’s your
responsibility to ensure they follow
the rules.
• Don’t be tempted to remove your
seatbelt if you are a passenger trying
to have a nap. This puts you and others
in danger.
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Drivers and their passengers who fail
to wear seatbelts in the front and back
of vehicles are breaking the law.
We all know this.
What you may not know is that in a
crash, you are twice as likely to die if
you don’t wear a seatbelt.
It just doesn’t make sense not to.
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Road Safety Matters
A practical guide to safe driving
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Park your
phone before
you drive
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You are 4 times more likely to have
an accident if you use a mobile while
driving, that is why using a hand-held
mobile phone in a vehicle is completely
banned in the UK. This applies even
if you’re stopped at traffic lights or
queuing in traffic.
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Road Safety Matters
You can only use a handheld phone if you
need to call 999 or 112 in an emergency
and it’s unsafe or impractical to stop, or
you are safely parked.
If you are safely parked you should
always take the keys out of the ignition
and put them on the dashboard in plain
view in case of a police check.
Colas Rail have banned the use of hands
free phones as they are proved to distract
almost as much as hand held phones,
due to the type of conversations we are
likely to have whilst working.
Handy hints on mobiles and cars:
• If you do need to make a call, park
safely before using your mobile phone.
Do not park on the hard shoulder of the
motorway.
• Don’t call other people when they’re
driving
• Ask to check that they are not driving,
ask them to call you back when they
have parked up safely.
• If you do need to take a call on your
hands-free kit, tell the caller you’re
driving and suggest leaving a voicemail
on your phone to let people know you
Stay safe!
So the best thing you can do to
keep you and your passengers safe
is switch off before you drive off.
A practical guide to safe driving
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Driven to
distraction
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Driving is one of the most complicated
and risky things many of us do on
a regular basis. It needs our full
concentration, and both our hands,
to drive safely.
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Road Safety Matters
Driver distraction causes between 20-30%
of all road accidents yearly which means
simply that anything that takes your eyes
or mind off the road or your hands off
the wheel, significantly increases your
chances of being involved in a crash
Here are some simple steps to avoid
becoming distracted:
• Make sure that you are ready to drive
before setting off. If your not in the right
frame of mind, wait till you are
• Recognise what makes you distracted
in the first place and avoid it
• Before doing something other than
driving, ask “will this be distracting”
• Think how you would feel if you saw
another driver doing the same thing
• Can you plan any possible distractions
out of your journey before you start –
like setting up the stereo, knowing your
route, eating or doing your make up!
Stay safe!
If things get a bit too rowdy in the
van, if you use a mobile, eat or
fiddle with a stereo, this is when
accidents can happen as the driver
- you are in control of these things.
A practical guide to safe driving
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What to
do if you
have an
accident
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Here are the simple steps you should
take if you are involved in an accident
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Road Safety Matters
1. Always take the names and registration
of the vehicles involved, the number
and details of the people in the vehicle –
sometimes when there appears to be little
or no damage, claims come along and we
have no evidence, so this is important
2. Always exchange details of the insurer
and report the claim immediately
Any incidents or accidents that do
occur while driving at work will always
be investigated in line with Fair Culture
principles in an open and transparent
manner as signed up to by all 3 Trade
Unions and Colas Rail.
3. Take photo images of the scene, the
damage to all vehicles and take a note of
all independent witnesses
4. Even if there is minor damage,
always contact the police and report the
accident at the time, getting details of
who you report it to
5. If telematics or any technology are
fitted to the vehicle, make sure the
people you report it to are aware
Need to add some emergency phone
contact numbers here:
Lex, Axa, control, fleet
Please supply.
A practical guide to safe driving
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It’s YOUR responsibility to make
sure your vehicle is safe and legal
before you hop into the driver’s seat
and make sure you keep your log
book up to date!
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At Colas we advise you use the
POWDER checklist every time you get
into your vehicle:
Stay safe!
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Before starting any journey you
can use a simple checklist to avoid
suffering any mechanical faults and
improve your fuel efficiency.
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Start your
journey
right
P Petrol/diesel – check type of fuel
and gauge
O Oil – check level
W Water – check coolant and
windscreen washer
D Damage – report immediately
E Electrics – check lights and
warning lights
R Rubber – keep tyres inflated
according to load and check tread
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Road Safety Matters
A practical guide to safe driving
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Different weather conditions create
different challenges when we are
driving.
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A single journey may take us into
very different weather, road and traffic
conditions, so we need to be prepared
for each one.
The following tips will help you cope
better with the differen seasons and their
weather hazards.
Winter Aids
Put a few things in the boot in case you
get stuck somewhere:
• A fully charged mobile phone
• Warm clothing, waterproof boots and
a blanket
• A hi-vis jacket close to hand
• A torch with fresh batteries
• Pieces of old carpet to aid traction
• Cans of high-energy drinks
• Long-life high-energy bars
• A spade or shovel
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Before you hit the road…
• Make sure the screen wash contains
sufficient water and winter additive
• Check that all the lights are clean and
clear and in full working order
• Ensure that front and rear screens are
clear, inside and out
• Know the route you’re driving
• Avoid driving in bad weather. Check
weather reports and never embark on
a journey if there’s a weather warning.
Ask your line manager for advice
• Use only Colas Rail-approved containers
for the carriage of petrol in vehicles
Summer Driving
• On long journeys, drink plenty of fluids
• Reduce speed if the sun is directly
in front of you and reducing forward
vision
• Be aware on minor roads, of increased
agricultural traffic
• Ensure passage of fresh air through the
vehicle cab and open the windows
• Be aware that excess heat can induce
drowsiness
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Whatever
the
weather
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Road Safety Matters
And remember braking distances can
be 10 times as long in adverse conditions.
Keep your distance and adjust your speed
according to conditions rather than to the
speed limit.
Stay safe!
If you start to skid, come off the
brakes or accelerator, turn into the
skid and look in the direction you
want to go.
A practical guide to safe driving
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Find out more
Colas Rail
Dacre House
19 Dacre Street
London
SW1H 0DJ.
www.colasrail.co.uk
Safety isn’t a slogan
its a behaviour
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