Vehicle incidents represent one of the largest risks to workplaces—

Not only in regard to staff safety, but also insurance premiums and repair costs as well as brand perception, especially if vehicles are sign-written.

The majority of adult drivers do not undertake any form of driver training once they’ve achieved their Full license, meaning workplaces place a significant amount of trust (and potential risk) when providing staff with vehicles to use as part of their role without any form of training or assessment.

If we do a First Aid course we are required to recertify or refresh that course every two years. Even if we have done 15 courses over our lives. And if you don’t, you go back to square one and do the whole course again. Not with driving. You could get your license when your 16 or 17 and, unless you are court ordered or medically ordered, not have to do any form or training or assessment or refresher until you are 75 other than an eye test every 10 years. So for nearly 60 years you don’t have to do anything training. But if you think about the changes to driving in the last 60 years…roads, number of people on the roads, the cars, the road rules…

Section 20 of the Health and Safety at Work Act makes it clear that a vehicle, when used for work purposes, is a workplace. Thus PCBUs must do all that is reasonably practicable to manage the risks associated with the use of vehicles, both on public roads and on private property (Source – Workingwise NZ).

NZ has some of the worst road trauma statistics in the developed world. About 25 percent of road deaths and serious injuries are work related (Source – NZTA). NZTA often use Sweden and Norway to compare based on population size and geography. Each of these has a death per 100,000 oof 2.1 and 2.7 respectively. NZ has a death per 100,000 of 7.2. While improved roads and vehicle safety will play some part in reducing our road trauma, it is driver skill, knowledge and attitude that will play the biggest part in reducing the number of road deaths and serious injuries to New Zealanders. With road transport being the major mode of transport in NZ, driver training is essential in achieving this.

Our driver learning journey does not end when we get out Full license. It is a continuous journey where we continue to learn, develop and gain skills and knowledge throughout our driving life. Workplace Driver Training has been established to help further staff on this journey and help create safer roads for all road users through quality, engaging and practical driver training.