TIREDNESS THE MAIN CAUSE OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS SAY TRUCK DRIVERS
National Road Safety Week

According to the Office of National Statistics, the United Kingdom has a relatively good record for road safety compared with most other EU countries¹. Despite this, accident levels remain high. Manpower Driving, the specialist driving division of Manpower, polled its drivers (Category C1 through to Category C+E) asking them what they thought the main cause for road accidents were.² The majority - almost two-thirds (62%) - of drivers believed that tiredness led to accidents on the road.

A quarter of drivers think that the effects of drugs or alcohol is the main cause of traffic accidents, and 19% believe the use of mobile phones is the main reason. Only 1 in 10 think that bad weather conditions are the main cause, and 4% consider the main reason to be vehicle failure.

Says Andrew Blakesley, Divisional Director for Manpower Driving: “These results demonstrate how important it is for drivers to work with a premium, quality employer – not one who stipulates long hours and high pressure to get the load delivered. Manpower Driving believes our drivers’ safety is paramount, so we ensure our drivers stick to the working hours stipulated by the Working Time Directive.

“We also brief new drivers when they join us, on our health and safety policies, particularly those concerning tiredness and drug misuse. It is vital to continue to make the driving industry aware of these issues with the increasing volume of vehicles using the road network.”

Road safety is vital to the future of the industry. The government's Road Haulage Forum (RHF) anticipates that national demand for drivers will be in the region of 600,000 by 2010 so “we need to attract more people into the driving industry to meet the increasing shortfall, but can only do so if the industry as a whole invests in encouraging better practices,” says Blakesley, “This will help raise the health and safety standards within the industry, hopefully attracting more people to help meet the national shortfall.”

Manpower Driving offers opportunities for drivers who want to develop a career in driving. Manpower will fully assess their skills, experience and listen to their requirements to ensure they get the most suitable job. This will enable drivers to build on their experience, whilst getting the premium pay rate their skills deserve. Benefits for drivers working for Manpower include: holiday and bank holiday pay, sick pay and free life and accident insurance.

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Note to editors

¹Office of National Statistics: Road deaths EU comparisons 2000, social trend 33
²Manpower Online Poll of drivers conducted in September 2003

About Manpower

Manpower is the UK’s leading workforce management company, specialising in recruitment, HR services, managed services, outsourcing and HR consultancy.

Manpower has been established in the UK since 1956 and today works with organisations in both the public and private sector. Manpower’s UK-wide network of 300 branches allows the company to meet the needs of local and national customers. This includes numerous small and medium sized enterprises, as well as larger organisations such as BMW, BT, Heinz, Hertfordshire County Council, IBM, National Blood Service, New Deal South Wales, Royal Mail and Xerox.

The focus of Manpower’s work is on raising productivity through improved quality, efficiency and cost-reduction, enabling customers to concentrate on their core business. Manpower achieves this by retaining a highly skilled workforce of 100,000 temporary employees who stay loyal to the company (and its customers) thanks to best in class employment benefits. These include a contract of employment and free online training at all sites nationwide. Manpower’s online Global Learning Centre offers staff over 3,000 courses in a diverse range of subjects, keeping Manpower’s workforce up to date with today’s ever-changing working environment.

See www.manpower.co.uk


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