The majority of fleets don’t test drivers for drink and drugs

A Fleet Safety Forum report published by Brake shows that nearly six in 10 fleets (57%) still do not test drivers for alcohol, and an even greater proportion (63%) do not test for illegal drugs.

These figures are included in Measuring the Risk (part 2), Brake’s report on an annual survey of subscribers to its Fleet Safety Forum. The report is sponsored by Licence Bureau, with responses on a range of road risk management issues from 134 organisations.

Drink and drug driving poses a huge threat on the road. Brake’s report published on 22nd August, comes just a few days after the Department for Transport posted provisional figures for crashes involving drink driving during 2011. These show that deaths resulting from drink drive crashes increased by 12 per cent from 250 in 2010 to 280 in 2011, and seriously injured casualties rose by 3 per cent from 1,250 to 1,290.

Measuring the Risk also benchmarks companies’ approach to other causes of driver impairment such as driver tiredness, health and eyesight, with four in ten companies not offering eyesight testing for drivers. The survey report features expert advice on tackling driver impairment and case studies of companies who have successfully put procedures in place to mitigate the associated risks.

Roslyn Cumming, development manager at Brake, said: “The DfT’s latest figures confirm what we already know about the devastating effects of drink driving. I’d urge fleet managers to get hold of this Fleet Safety Forum survey report to see how their organisation measures up, and get expert tips on how to avoid a range of risks to safe driving, including alcohol and drug use.”

Malcolm Maycock, director at Licence Bureau Ltd, says: “The survey report reveals that while many fleets are taking positive steps to do so, there is still plenty more to be done.”

Measuring the Risk is available as a pdf to Fleet Safety Forum subscribers free of charge. Non-subscribers can order it for £5. Email [email protected].