Road safety policies at home in corporate culture

A modern corporation can be seen as a miniature of the world in which we live. Rules and regulations must work hand-in-hand with moral principles to effectively and responsibly organise and govern.

With the road safety message gaining greater social awareness, it is more and more often being seen within the Codes of Conduct of major corporations. GRSP partners who advocate for road safety within the community are prime examples, actively encouraging their employees to take the lead as role model citizens, further contributing to the expansion of the road safety culture.

We look at some examples:

Honda has a Conduct Guideline detailing the values that guide their actions, within which a section on Traffic Safety stipulates: “In order for Honda to be a leader in traffic safety, we will abide by traffic rules and drive safely”.

Michelin provides employees with driver training and a detailed Road Safety Awareness Kit, together with supporting initiatives promoting road safety to a wider public. This type of corporate social responsibility is part of what earned Michelin Britain’s prestigious Prince Michael International Road Safety Award this year.

Renault produces and distributes The Renault Group Driver’s Charter not only among the group’s salaried employees, but also to their agents and importers. The Charter’s message is clear, for the Renault Group’s personnel to be ambassadors for safe and responsible driving.

Shell promotes its ’12 Lifesaving Rules’ by which all employees must abide in order to prevent injuries and fatalities. Four of them directly address road safety: wear your seat belt; follow prescribed journey management plan; no alcohol or drugs while working or driving; and, while driving, do not use your phone and do not exceed speed limits.

Toyota’s Code of Conduct features a chapter on Traffic Safety Education Activities in which it states: “Recognising the responsibilities of a company engaged in the automobile industry, we abide by traffic rules, and endeavour to be role models by safe driving and actively promoting traffic safety”.

Total has its Golden Rules for Occupational Safety, and once again, the road safety message is clear, identifying and addressing risk factors and ‘aiming for zero accidents everywhere’.

In this, the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 – 2020, it is heartening to see corporate social responsibility take such a clear stand on the message of road safety – where does your business stand?

For information on developing a systematic approach to managing the key risks arising from road transport, or to sign your business to the Global Road Safety Commitment, go to https://www.grsproadsafety.org/what-we-do/global-road-safety-commitment