Driver Safety Zone 2025

Driving for Better Business at the Health and Safety Event

8th – 10th April 2025 – NEC, Birmingham
The Driver Safety Theatre from Driving for Better Business

We are presenting three days of expert opinion, good practice and thought leadership in the Driver Safety Theatre 2025. It’s a vital update for safety professionals.

This year is the fifth edition of our Driver Safety Theatre – a partnership between the Health and Safety Event and the National Highways Driving for Better Business programme. It is the UK’s largest event for the tens of thousands of health and safety professionals responsible for running a safe and efficient workplace, and the Driver Safety Theatre is where they will come for clarity and inspiration about one of their biggest work-place risks: driving for work.

Our theme this year is ‘Vehicles don’t crash… People do’ because more than nine out of ten crashes are caused by human factors rather than issues with the vehicle or road conditions.

We have a full programme of brand-new content for this year. Check out the sessions below and register for free.

DRIVER SAFETY THEATRE PROGRAMME

Three days of content delivering an excellent range of expert opinion, good practice and thought leadership in our dedicated Driver Safety Theatre.

Tuesday 8th April, 10:30 – 15:30

10:30 (45mins)	Vehicles don’t crash – people do. Part 1 Nine out of ten crashes are caused by human factors rather than issues with the vehicle or road conditions. These factors might include driver behaviour, such as speeding, fatigue, or phone use; the tasks they are asked to perform, like meeting unrealistic targets or driving vehicles they are not confident in; or distractions stemming from personal concerns, such as financial difficulties, health issues, or workplace stress. Whatever the cause, employers have a duty to identify these risks and take action to mitigate them. This presentation begins with a fictitious crash scenario, followed by an insightful discussion with two of the UK’s leading driver health and safety managers. Together, we’ll explore what employers must do to address these challenges, protect their drivers and other road users, and safeguard their businesses. We’ll examine the causes of the crash and its impact on various management roles within the organisation. Don’t miss Part 2 of this session on Wednesday at 10:30 for further exploration of these critical issues. Chair: Mark Cartwright, Head of Commercial Vehicle Incident Prevention for National Highways Mark leads the Commercial Vehicle Incident Prevention team and the Driving for Better Business programme at National Highways. He’s been with National Highways four years following a long career at Freight Transport Association (now LUK) culminating in the development and management of their multi-award winning Van Excellence programme. Mark is a Fellow of the Institute of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. Tim Pearson, Head of Transport Health & Safety at Wren Kitchens Tim Pearson is a highly experienced transport and safety professional with over 30 years of Class One HGV experience. His career has spanned roles as a transport supervisor and driver trainer before transitioning into health and safety nearly nine years ago with Wren Kitchens. A respected industry expert, Tim holds a National CPC, an NVQ Level 6 in Occupational Health and Safety, and is a certified Smith System trainer. His extensive knowledge and leadership continue to drive excellence in transport safety and compliance.
11:45 (45mins)	The Hidden Medical Issues Affecting Driver Safety Are your drivers really safe when they’re out on the road? What if a medical issue you weren’t aware of was the cause of a serious crash? The consequences of these types of incidents can be truly horrific. To understand the potential scale of these tragedies, consider the Glasgow bin lorry crash as a stark example. Conditions such as diabetes and sleep disorders represent hidden epidemics, with many people unaware of the scale of the problem and the potential consequences. And they’re not the only health issues affecting drivers. In this session, we’ll explore real-world data on hidden driver health problems, highlight the conditions you need to watch out for, and provide practical advice on how to address them effectively. Chair: Simon Turner, Engagement Manager, Driving for Better Business Simon is a strategic communications specialist with 20 years’ experience in the field of work-related road safety. He has managed the National Highways Driving for Better Business engagement programme since 2015 which focuses on the safety & wellbeing of those who drive for work, the performance of those who manage them, & the impact their activities have on the environment. He is Chairman of the Trustees at the Association for Road Risk Management & sits on the judging panel for the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards. Kate Walker, CEO, Diabetes Safety Organisation Kate is the CEO of the Diabetes Safety Organisation, working in the construction and logistics sector, addressing the ever-present and increasing health and safety risk of diabetes. Kate is passionate to ensure workplaces and road networks are safe, for everyone living with diabetes, undiagnosed, pre diabetes and the wider population. Dr Grant Charlesworth-Jones, CEO, D4Drivers Dr Charlesworth-Jones leads D4Drivers as CEO having been both a doctor and barrister in his earlier career. He has spearheaded the exclusive partnership with Loughborough University and the leading research into driver health and road safety. His main focus is to campaign to improve road safety by improving the health of vocational drivers.
13:00 (30mins)	Driver Roadworthiness: Do you have the tools to manage driver mental health? According to HSE, 776,000 workers in the UK suffer from work-related stress, depression or anxiety leading to 16.4 million lost working days. Mental health charity Mind says that 1 in 4 people experience a mental health problem each year. Whether or not an individual’s mental health issue is caused by work, it will affect them at work and, if they’re driving for you, the impact could be felt far and wide. Driving for Better Business is launching a new FREE toolkit to help managers understand and manage driver mental health and wellbeing. Anne-Marie will introduce this toolkit looking at the importance of mental health to driver safety, employer’s legal responsibilities, and how to create a psychologically safe and supportive culture for both drivers and managers within your business. Anne-Marie Penny, Senior Road Safety Policy Adviser and Driving for Better Business Programme Lead, National Highways Anne-Marie has been in road safety since 2003, and managed motorcycle casualty reduction, campaign development, and was the Safety Camera Partnership Manager in Kent. She has been a trustee of the Eastern Alliance of Safe and Sustainable Transport and hosted the FIA International Road Safety Scholarship in Kent for three years. Anne-Marie joined National Highways in 2017 and leads the Driving for Better Business Programme and the Roads Policing Review for Motorcycling.
14:45 (45 mins)	Driver Risk Management – the journey from confusion to clarity One in three road traffic accidents involves someone driving for work. Are you meeting your duty of care to your workplace drivers? This panel discussion will explore the micro factors that impact preventative and reactive risk management. From board buy-in to management inception and driver engagement, this session will demonstrate how to reduce incidents, safeguard drivers and protect business profitability. Together, the panel will share their experiences of successfully implementing driver risk analysis, monitoring driver behaviour and delivering personalised training to meet their duty of care. Chair: Dave Marsh, CEO, TTC Group With over 21 years of experience in training, education and professional services, Dave Marsh is a highly regarded professional in health and safety regulation and compliance. As CEO of TTC Group, David has been a driving force in building its growing portfolio of people risk management and regulated training solutions for the fleet, construction and healthcare sectors. A passionate advocate for technology-driven learning, Dave is committed to personalised education to enhance compliance, safety and workforce development. Gary Rigby, Group Head of Fleet Compliance, Kier Gary started working life in the military before entering into the commercial sector as an HGV driver for Wincanton, where he then began his training, compliance and health & safety career. With over 25 years’ experience in the transport arena, and now Head of Fleet Compliance for Keir Group, Gary brings invaluable knowledge of how to achieve driver best practice to the panel. Miranda Faulconbridge, Head of Driver Safety, Telent Miranda Faulconbridge is currently Head of Driver Safety for Telent Technology Services. Miranda is responsible for the design and delivery of Telent’s driver safety program across the UK, creating new monthly campaigns and supporting drivers with the training, skills and knowledge to reduce road risk, whist driving for Telent on business.[/su_row] Jeremy Hubbard, Senior Motor Consultant, UK Risk Control & Engineering, AON Jeremy brings vast global experience in evaluating and advising on driver risk, capability and eligibility. Joining Aon from Aviva, Jeremy utilises his significant technical expertise to support high quality loss avoidance and reduction strategies and measures across EMEA and the US. His collaboration with clients continues to reduce driving at work risk and deliver best practice internationally.
15:00 (30mins)	Keynote presentation: The HERO Mindset - Transforming Safety in Transport In this engaging talk, Pete explores the HERO Mindset, a concept designed to tackle ongoing safety challenges in the transport sector. Despite widespread knowledge and guidelines, preventable incidents—such as daily fatalities and bridge strikes—continue to occur. Pete delves into why this happens and how the HERO approach can bridge the gap between knowing and doing. By focusing on human behaviour, responsibility, and effective decision-making, he highlights practical strategies to create safer, more proactive transport environments. This session is a must for those seeking real-world solutions to long-standing industry issues. Pete Rushmer, Managing Director of Flagship Partners, Author and TedX Speaker Pete builds high-performance workplace cultures using The Performance Trifecta model. He is a TEDx speaker, Business Coach, Entrepreneur, Motivation and Performance Expert. He founded Flagship Partners in 2018 – a growing, ISO 9001 accredited consultancy and training provider in the Fleet risk sector. He provides expert services to fleet operators and is an Approved audit provider for DVSA Earned Recognition, CILT accredited Learning Partner – Transport Manager CPC, DVSA accredited Driver CPC Centre and Consortium.

Wednesday 9th April, 10:30 - 15:30

10:30	Vehicles don't crash, people do. Part 2 Building on yesterday’s session, which examined a serious work-related road collision and its impact on the driver’s employer, today’s session focuses on how to learn from such incidents to improve policies and procedures. You may already be familiar with the Swiss Cheese model of risk management. In this session, we’ll explore how thorough incident investigations can help identify and address gaps, preventing similar incidents from reoccurring. Joining us once again are two of the UK’s leading driver safety managers, who will share their expertise on investigating road collisions and applying the lessons learned to build safer practices. Chair: Mark Cartwright, Head of Commercial Vehicle Incident Prevention for National Highways Mark leads the Commercial Vehicle Incident Prevention team and the Driving for Better Business programme at National Highways. He’s been with National Highways four years following a long career at Freight Transport Association (now LUK) culminating in the development and management of their multi-award winning Van Excellence programme. Mark is a Fellow of the Institute of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. Stefan Szrama, QHSE Lead for Fleet and Procurement, Mitie PLC Stefan enlisted into the British Army in 1988 completing 24 years’ service including time as a Senior Specialist Vehicle Instructor at the Defence School of Transport (Europe’s largest driver training school). In his final post he was responsible for the entire transport operation of an operationally active, British Army Battalion. In 2012, Stefan joined Mitie, the UK’s largest Facilities Management company. Starting as a Driver Trainer, his role now includes responsibility for the management of road risk across the organisation, some 8,600 vehicles. Chris Floyd, Transport Safety & Compliance Lead, EVRI Across a 20 year Transport Career, Chris has worked at all levels of Commercial road use, from HGV driver to Senior Leader. The current Chair of RoSPA’s National Road Safety Committee, Chris also holds the role of Chair/Spokesperson for the Institute of Couriers Road Safety & Wellbeing Group. An advocate for legislative change, Chris is passionate about those affected by road collisions being more than a number in a dataset.
11:45	Risking lives and prosecution: Is your Driving for Work Policy good enough? Having a policy is a legal requirement, as is keeping it up to date, and communicating it effectively to drivers. The Driving for Better Business Policy Builder is a free to access template, which gives you a professionally written and comprehensive driving for work policy that you can adapt to your business to ensure you cover all the legally required elements. This comprehensive tool also includes alerts when official guidance or legislation changes that could affect your policy. Find out what needs to go in a policy, how to get driver engagement and how to keep your policy up to date. Simon Turner, Engagement Manager for the National Highways Driving for Better Business Programme Simon is a strategic communications specialist with 20 years’ experience in the field of work-related road safety. He has managed the National Highways Driving for Better Business engagement programme since 2015 which focuses on the safety & wellbeing of those who drive for work, the performance of those who manage them, & the impact their activities have on the environment. He is Chairman of the Trustees at the Association for Road Risk Management & sits on the judging panel for the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards.
12:45	Next-level safety: Data-driven training for the frontline workforce Synopsis TBC Matthew Reid, Head of Plant & Transport, Cappagh Browne Matthew joined the company in 2022, bringing over 20 years of transport experience. He earned his National CPC in 2008 and has worked across the UK, including with AO.COM on logistics. Matthew has operated fleets of over 580 vehicles, ranging from small vans up to 44-tonne articulated vehicles, overseeing in-house workshops and fleet maintenance. Matthew brings innovative transport ideas and keeps his finger on the pulse of all new legislation changes. John Mills, Client Director, Samsara
13:45	Expert insights to unlock an effective driver safety culture This panel discussion will explore the key challenges involved in improving driver risk management, the competencies required of drivers, driver safety managers and organisation leaders, and highlight industry proven good practices that health and safety professionals should aim to adopt. Chair: Penny Brooks, Driver Qualifications Portfolio Manager, RoSPA Penny has been involved with learning and development in the field of driver training for 18 years. Her interest began when she qualified as a DVSA Approved Driving Instructor in 2003, quickly moving on the fleet training world and then into the design, delivery and assessment of driver training programmes which has taken her overseas to work with drivers and trainers outside the UK. Penny is currently RoSPA’s Driver Trainer Qualifications Portfolio Manager, creating qualifications for drivers and driver trainers at home and overseas. Geraint Davies, Director, FORS Geraint has been involved in road transport for over 25 years and is the FORS Concession Director having previously been COO of Raymond Transport Limited, who were the one of the first FORS operators in Wales. He has serves as Chair of the Logistics UK (FTA) Welsh Freight Council, UK Road Freight Council in Westminster and has Chaired the RHA Welsh Forum and has also served as an RHA Board Director. Andrew Mawson CMIOSH, Chair of Logistics and Retail Group, IOSH and Head of Compliance and Risk, EV Solutions A respected leader in Safety, Health, Environmental, and Quality, Andrew Mawson is passionate about achieving the highest SHEQ standards. With extensive experience in logistics, oil and gas, renewable energy, and shipping, he specialises in behavioural safety and NLP. As Chair of the IOSH Logistics and Retail Committee, he drives industry improvements through engagement and communication. Leading safety teams across the UK, Europe, Qatar, and the UAE, Andrew is committed to ensuring everyone returns home safely every day. Saul Jeavons, Director, The Transafe Network Saul Jeavons is a specialist in transport risk management, safety leadership, and road safety. With 30 years’ experience, he has worked on projects in over 30 countries for major multinationals including BP and Shell, as well as governments. Formerly Head of Investigations and Risk Management at TRL, he led road safety, collision investigation, and fleet safety. Saul is a Trustee, Fellow, and Chairman Designate of ARRM and plays a key role in PACTS, chairing its Forum for Work-Related Road Safety Leaders.
15:00 (45mins)	Keynote Presentation: Beyond perception - influencing a resilient safety culture In this thought-provoking seminar, Tim, a former Intelligence Officer and graduate of Sandhurst, will explore how leaders and teams can break free from the trap of prioritising perception over reality. All too often, organisations focus on processes at the expense of tangible outcomes, and a fear of failure leads individuals to shy away from taking ownership of decisions. Drawing from his unique experience as a Covert Human Intelligence Officer, Tim will share powerful insights into how high-performance teams can be inspired to succeed, rather than paralysed by the fear of failure. Tim Bradshaw, Co-Founder and Head of Operations, Sandstone Communications Tim Bradshaw is an Intelligence officer and former graduate of Sandhurst turned entrepreneur with a passion for enabling resilience, creating influence and leading change. His work as a Covert Human Intelligence Officer saw him recruit, run and build relationships with foreign agents worldwide. Often creating influence and effecting the outcome of extremely sensitive and dangerous situations. Combining the inspirational with the practical, Tim explores the common mistakes and important lessons in creating influence and resilience within teams and clients. As founder of Sandstone Communications and CEO of the Sandstone Foundation, he helps teams overcome analysis paralysis and drive high performance.

Thursday 10th April, 10:30 - 13:30

10:45 (45mins)	Driving Safety Improvements Through Data & Intelligence The panel "Driving Safety Improvements Through Data & Intelligence" will explore how data-driven decision-making enhances driver safety programs and secures stakeholder buy-in. Experts will discuss the practical applications of data intelligence in structured safety programs, sharing insights on engaging organisations, identifying trends, and shaping the future of fleet safety. Attendees will gain valuable perspectives on how analytics can drive meaningful safety improvements, reduce risk, and support drivers in an evolving transportation landscape. Chaired by Mark Tiana, Vice President, Solera Mark is the Vice President of Business Development for Fleet Solutions International at Solera, Inc., helping global partners harness advanced fleet, last-mile, and video safety solutions. With a strong background in automotive, aerospace, and fleet technology, Mark specialises in programme management, business strategy, and connected vehicle solutions. Mark held leadership roles at Cosworth, Goodrich Aerospace, and Lockheed Martin, driving innovation and operational excellence across industries. Stephen Blackmore, Driver Safety Management, Turners (Soham) Ltd. After a career with Volvo in Sales, Stephen joined Turners to focus on the Driver Fuel and Bonus programmes. In 2014 Stephen started managing Turners Driver Safety Programme, covering all areas of Video Safety, including the appointment and mentoring of Turners’ 11 coaches who work with their 1600+ drivers, managing their risk. Stephen has key relationships with industry safety organisations and heads up sustainability communications for the Turners group. In his spare time he supports local colleges, mentoring challenged students along with business projects. David Laughlin, Head of Operation Safety & Transport, Sainsbury’s Group David has a passion for protecting people, reducing harm and exploring how we can move transport operations to another level using data, technology and engagement.
11:45 (45mins)	Revolutionising First Aid: Immersive Training for Life-Saving Confidence If you've had first aid training, it's likely you’ve learned techniques in a classroom setting, perhaps practising skills like placing a dummy in the recovery position on the floor. But have you considered how you would apply that knowledge to an HGV driver experiencing a heart attack in their cab, while strapped into their seat, ten feet off the ground? If not, then this unique session is for you. Tim will demonstrate how immersive & engaging training techniques, reflecting the real world scenarios in which that training will be needed, and give the knowledge, confidence and skills to act quickly and effectively when it matters most. Tim Bradshaw, Co-Founder and Head of Operations, Sandstone Communications Tim Bradshaw is an Intelligence officer and former graduate of Sandhurst turned entrepreneur with a passion for enabling resilience, creating influence and leading change. His work as a Covert Human Intelligence Officer saw him recruit, run and build relationships with foreign agents worldwide. Often creating influence and effecting the outcome of extremely sensitive and dangerous situations. Combining the inspirational with the practical, Tim explores the common mistakes and important lessons in creating influence and resilience within teams and clients. As founder of Sandstone Communications and CEO of the Sandstone Foundation, he helps teams overcome analysis paralysis and drive high performance.
13:00 (30mins)	AI in Motion: Elevating Safety & Compliance for Drivers and Fleets Netradyne is a global provider of driver safety and coaching technologies. In this session, Durgadutt will share how AI and gen-AI systems can empower HSE leaders with a technology-driven, holistic approach to improving driver behaviour, increasing safety, and fostering engagement—all while protecting the company’s reputation and drivers. Durgadutt Nedungadi, Sr. Vice President – International Business, Netradyne Technology Durgadutt Nedungadi, called as Durga, is the Senior Vice President for India and International Business at Netradyne Technology. He heads APAC, Europe and MEA business for Netradyne Technology, and works closely with Supply Chain and Health & Safety leaders on the digitization of fleet and driver safety operations. Formerly, he has worked with HP and Wipro in different business roles managing P&Ls, working with organisations globally advising on their digital transformation strategies.