Drink and Drug Impairment

December 2024

Driver Managers – improve your understanding

Our monthly fleet focus delves deeper into some of the key road safety topics to improve your understanding, with free resources for you to share with your drivers.

Each month’s topic sits in a library so, as the library grows each month, you can access a bank of resources at any time to help you improve driver safety in your organisation.

ACCESS THE FULL FLEET FOCUS LIBRARY

Your Drivers – Your Responsibility

Your Call to Action:

Ensure you have the right policies in place to manage alcohol and drug driving – check out our policy template here.
Ensure everyone involved – managers, supervisors as well as your drivers – are aware of their responsibilities.
Don’t be afraid to challenge your drivers about drink and drug driving.

Drink and Drug Impairment

Driving is, for most people, the most dangerous activity they do.

We know in the majority of cases that the initial causation of a crash is often to do with the driver’s performance, with some form of drug or alcohol impairment being a common issue. It’s a misconception that the risks are limited to recreational drugs – while they clearly do play a part, it’s also important to recognise that self-prescribed and over the counter drugs can also impact on driver behaviour and perfomance.

It’s vital that as an organisation, and indeed as a manager or owner, you are confident that your drivers understand the impact and the risks of drink and drug driving – not only to themselves, but also to the livelihood of the company they are driving for. Penalties can be severe.

So how confident are you that your drivers are not drink or drug impaired? Have you got a clear and coherent policy that sets out your expectations and the ramifications for drivers found in breach of your standards?

Check out our suggested wording in our driving for work policy template here.

Read the legal update

Your Legal Update: Drink and Drug Impairment

As fleet managers, you won’t be able to monitor what your fleet drivers/operatives are consuming 24/7, but you can set your company’s Driving for Work Policy and your expectations. Driving for work would be a safety critical activity and your driving policies should reflect the importance of your zero-tolerance approach.

Key is to have the anti-drink/drug drive message in your driving for work policies and procedures:

Do you have a drink/drug drive policy, and if so, is it up to date?
Is your safe driving policy enforced, or how will you enforce it?
What devices/systems should be installed?
Is your employee/driver handbook up to date?
Do you need to introduce systems to reduce the occurrence of drink/drug driving to eradicate, or at least mitigate, the risk?

Read the full legal update on drink and drug impairment and your responsibilities here.