We are starting 2021 as we mean to go on, forming new partnerships and supporting the wider community improve their road safety awareness. We are proud to announce that we have formed a new partnership with Wirral Council. Having secured funding from the Road Safety Trust, Wirral Council are able to offer free membership* of How’s My Driving? to van fleets based in the Wirral. We are delighted to be offering free support to businesses that actively manage road safety and who are proactively looking at ways to reduce the risk of collision, support drivers, as well as driving down fleet insurance and running costs. We thought the best way to tell you about the partnership is by answering some FAQs:

 

 

Yes, the service is 100% free! Funding includes the first year of membership only, after which How’s My Driving? have committed to offering a specially reduced price for those Wirral businesses that are already part of the membership.

 

 

The service works by placing a highly visible yellow and black sticker on the back of a van, HGV or LGV vehicle. The stickers are specially designed to stand out against livery or plain vehicles, and feature easy to remember tag numbers; each vehicle has its own bespoke reference.

 

The public then contact How’s My Driving? via a free phone number displayed on the badge or through our website to report feedback or provide commentary; the feedback we receive is incredibly valuable whether it’s positive or constructive. Our call centre team is based in the UK, is open 24/7, 365 days a year and are highly trained in dealing with the general public. Our team will then contact the company and feedback the incident report, which allows clients to gain invaluable insight as to how their vehicles are perceived on the roads. The company will receive all incident reports in real-time, no later than 6 working hours after the incident has been first reported. If fully populated, each individual report will contain:

Vehicle ID sticker number

 

 

The company then have the opportunity to investigate, interview the driver and report back, and the How’s My Driving? team will respond on behalf of the company to the member of public who reported the feedback. Essentially the service is about building on your relationship with your driver, keeping them and other road users safe, reducing your costs because safer driving means less fuel, less wear and tear on your vehicle and tyres as well as lower insurance premiums.

 

 

Simply put, yes! The idea behind How’s My Driving? is incredibly simple, yet effective. The presence of the badge on the back of each vehicle helps to remind the driver to concentrate on their driving style, whilst simultaneously, providing an alternative form of redress for other road users, diffusing situations that may lead to “road rage” incidents. The user-friendly reporting system allows managers to identify and target any training requirements for individual drivers, continuously raising the standard of driving on the UK roads which in turn will reduce the likelihood of collisions. Understanding how the implications of your driving style affects others and a heightened awareness of your actions can and does lead to a change in behaviour.

 

 

Joining the How’s My Driving? road safety service enables companies to provide independent evidence of proactively managing occupational road risk and road safety, which can lead to very competitive fleet insurance premiums. Read more here about saving money on fleet insurance premiums. In turn, companies also experience:

 

 

 

We understand that drivers may be apprehensive about the How’s My Driving? service, however there are some direct benefits that they will receive, such as:

 

We suggest viewing these interactions with your drivers as opportunities to see if they need further training or to see whether they have anything going on in their life that is creating a distraction for them. This communication will build on your relationship with your driver, keeping them and other road users safe.

 

 

How’s My Driving? was the first road safety service of its kind introduced into the UK and since 1995 we have successfully raised the profile of road safety. It provides an opportunity for other road users to have a positive impact on driving behaviour, enabling potentially hazardous situations to be diffused, whilst helping drivers to become more aware of their driving style. As well as working hard to reduce accidents on the roads, our service operates as a socially conscious organisation, which means that after our costs are covered, the remainder of membership fees are given to funding road safety projects in the UK, which allows us to fund a variety of initiatives that aim to create a safer road space for all.

 

 

Simply complete the form here to see if you’re eligible. Not based in the Wirral? We can still offer competitive membership rates, please contact our friendly team today to see how we can help you start 2021 with a focus on road safety and money saving.

 

You can read more frequently asked questions on the road safety service here, alternatively if you would like to find out more about road safety support for your business, please contact our friendly team.