Introduction

This booklet has been designed to be a handy in-car personal reference to Buckinghamshire County Council’s Driving for Work Policy and should be read in conjunction with the full policy found on the intranet under Health and Safety Policies and Procedures 9.12 Driving for Work Policy.

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974, an employer has two key duties:

• 'to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety, and welfare at work of all his employees'.
• 'to conduct his undertakings in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in his employment who may be affected by it are not thereby exposed to risks to their health or safety'.

The Health and Safety Executive has laid down a definition that “the vehicle is a workplace” when used in the course of an employee's day.

Reducing collisions is an important responsibility that rests with staff and management. BCC trust that all employees and others, subject to the requirements of this policy, share this concern and will make the management of Driving for Work an integral part of the day-to-day business operation.

Driving responsibly and within the law can be further overlaid with a desire to represent BCC well and not to put the Council at risk of prosecution, undue expense, or suffer from negative publicity. 

As employees, we also have a responsibility to ensure that we drive safely, comply with Road Traffic law, maintain our vehicles in a roadworthy condition, and make every effort to keep ourselves and other road users safe.

What does the policy cover?

All driving activities that are a direct result of your job, except driving to and from your usual place of work; although best practice is encouraged at all times. This includes all business mileage whether claimed or not, all journeys whether long or short and all vehicles.

• Statistically, 1 in 4 collisions on Buckinghamshire roads involve someone driving as part of their job.
• Business drivers are 30-40% more likely to be involved in a collision than a domestic driver.

Exploring other options before making a journey

• Before you make the journey, consider other ways you can meet the objectives and do away with the journey altogether ie Teleconferencing. Details of this are available on the intranet under the ICT A-Z sub-menu.
• Or explore alternative modes of transport such as public transport or a pool vehicle. Visit the Travel Choice pages on the intranet for alternative ways to travel.
• Lift sharing - you could visit Bucks Liftshare to register and find out if you can be matched with someone going the same direction.
• Reduce the journey and arrange to meet at a halfway point