THINK!
Road Safety
We believe Couriers have a responsibility to set a higher standard of driving.
That’s why we’re bringing to the THINK! Road Safety Campaign to Couriers TV.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Multi-Drop parcel courier rushing around the back streets of your local town every day, or a Same-Day Courier constantly on the motorways and A-Roads covering vast distances. The fact is every courier will cover many miles, face a variety of conditions and probably have at least one reasonably close-call each day.
Country Roads
Country road, take me home – in one piece hopefully. The twisty A and B roads that wind through rural parts of Britain can be great for driving enjoyment, but they can also be deadly. It’s estimated 3 people die on country roads each day, and drivers are 10-times more likely to be killed on rural roads than motorways.
Fatigue
This is an important issue for delivery drivers. We spend a lot of hours on the road and sometimes the pressures of the job can force drivers to consider skipping breaks and driving for longer than we should.
Sleep-related accidents have a higher chance of resulting in serious injuries and fatalities.
It’s down to you to put your health and the safety of yourself and others as a top priority. Make use of service areas and keep well hydrated.
Mobile Phones
Couriers need to stay in contact with numerous people during the day, often dealing with calls from control offices and customers. But we all know the rules. Handheld devices are illegal.
Most modern delivery vehicles are fitted with bluetooth audio systems that can connect with your phone to make sure you can operate it hands-free.
its’s important to remember though that you are still 4 times more likely to crash whilst using a phone, even on hands-free.
Keep calls to an absolute minimum.
Seat Belts
Some delivery drivers get tempted to forego wearing a seatbelt – especially those that are constantly in and out of the vehicle such as multi-drop drivers.
You’re putting your life at risk if you do this. You’re twice as likely to be killed in an accident if you’re not wearing a seatbelt, and the fines for getting caught range from £100-£500.
Speed
As couriers, we often get requests for urgent deliveries. Most of us will at some time have heard “This one’s a Screamer!” or “I need it there yesterday!”
Just because goods are needed urgently, doesn’t give anyone the right to break speed limits.
Over 3000 people were killed last year where speed was the contributing factor.
Your job is important, but isn’t it also worth considering that it’s ‘better to arrive late in this life, than early in the next’.
This information has been adapted from the Governments ‘THINK!’ website in order to be more relevant to couriers. For the full facts and more information click the button below to visit the official website.
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