From tragedy to action: it’s time to get serious about road safety

Today marks the beginning of Brake, the road safety charity ’s annual Road Safety Week. FORS is a proud supporter of Brake and their vision to create a world with zero road death and injury.??

Each year over 1,700 people die on UK roads with an additional 30,000 suffering from life-changing injuries. This year’s theme is ‘After the crash, every road victim counts’ and aims to bring to light that road crash victims are real people and not just a statistic. Throughout the week, Brake will be telling the stories of real-life road crash victims and those left to deal with the devastation.??

In honour of Road Safety Week 2024, FORS Director Geraint Davies opens up about the importance of prioritising road safety. With road safety at the heart of FORS, Davies outlines how FORS helps create safer roads for all and his vision for the future of the scheme.?

What would you say to someone to help them better understand the devastating effects of road incidents on everyone involved???

Every incident has a ripple effect, it goes much further than the victim, it involves families, the first responders, the emergency services, employers and witnesses, all of whom could be profoundly affected. Taking a moment to do something differently and to take stock can make all the difference. Simply put, complacency causes collisions.??

What motivates you to drive up safety standards in the transport sector???

The ambition to make a tangible difference and tackle issues on several fronts for the greater good. When I was Chief Operating Officer of John Raymond Transport, ensuring the safety of my drivers and those they came into contact with on the road was top priority and was a major driving force when I made the decision to progress the company to FORS Gold Accreditation.??

Why do you think we’ve seen no significant reduction in road casualties in the past decade???

The diversification of the vehicle types on our roads, inaccessible education material and training deficiencies. FORS addresses all three of these issues: FORS is applicable to all vehicle types; FORS Operators gain access to our library of guidance (i.e. toolkits, guides, eLearning, industry webinars and toolbox talks); FORS Operators can take advantage of our industry-leading training at a significantly reduced price. Each of these factors can help a company significantly reduce risk.??

What are your goals and aspirations for FORS???

To take FORS on a journey and grow the brand as the baseline standard across the UK, Europe and beyond. We are working hard to introduce FORS into new sectors offering a truly holistic solution. Hauliers shouldn’t just aspire to operate at the baseline of compliance. By Accrediting FORS, hauliers can be assured they are operating at the highest levels of best practice regarding safety, efficiency and the environment.??

How do you think FORS helps create safer roads for all???

FORS is the largest road safety-centric accreditation scheme, and more than that, the FORS Standard is in a league of its own and goes far beyond what is needed for compliance with the law. If more organisations specify FORS in their procurement contracts, this in turn will ensure that a greater number of vehicle operators and drivers are safer, smarter, and greener.??

Find out more about FORS?

If your company works with fleet operators: you can read more here about how FORS can help you. Email us at [email protected], call us on 08448 09 09 44, or reach out to Geraint on LinkedIn.?

If you’re a fleet operator interested in joining FORS: email us at [email protected], call us on 08448 09 09 44, or reach out to Geraint on LinkedIn.?