Safety and Security
Within the UK Bus division, the Bus Safety Council chaired by the Managing Director of the UK Bus division leads the safety programme. The Safety Council establishes safety targets and initiatives at both Bus division and company level, driving consistency in approach across the bus companies and ensuring adoption of best practice.
| UK Bus Safety Performance for the period April 2006 - March 2007 compared to the previous 12 months | |
|---|---|
| All injuries per 1,000 employees per year | -25% |
| Lost time injuries (over 1 day) per 1,000 employees per year | -28% |
| Passenger injuries per million miles | -10% |
| Vehicle collisions per million miles | -10% |
Our safety programme continues to improve safety performance. This year we have achieved reductions in all our injury and collision rates. We have made particular progress in reducing all employee injuries and lost time injuries which have reduced by 25% and 28% respectively.
Regrettably there have been two fatalities during the year - one employee and one passenger. One of our drivers was killed when the bus he was driving crashed into a wall. The autopsy revealed that the driver bypassed the stringent controls in place and signed on duty whilst under the influence of alcohol. The passenger fatality occurred when a driver braked hard to avoid a collision with a car that had pulled out of a junction without stopping to give way to the bus.
Each year there are also a number of third party fatalities where incidents occur that are outside our control. These events cause us great concern and we work to minimise them in every reasonable way possible. The introduction of the well-recognised Smith System Defensive Driving programme to the UK Bus division will be constructive here as it will, amongst other things, train our drivers to respond to unforeseen circumstances better. We thoroughly investigate all incidents to identify and address root causes.
Our safety programme continues to focus on reducing injury rates to both our employees and passengers through implementation of the Injury Prevention Programme (IPP).
Reducing Injuries to Our Employees
The reduction in the number of employee injuries has been driven by improved safety data reporting, trend analysis and a more proactive response to adverse trends. The IPP has consolidated these measures and thorough IPP training and employee briefing has been a priority. The programme will continue to facilitate further reductions in staff injury rates over the coming year.
Bus Passenger Safety
Central to our safety programme is the reduction of passenger injury and vehicle collision rates. We want to equip our drivers with the best training available to ensure they practise safe driving and are equipped to manage situations that may be beyond their control. We continue to refine our driver training programmes and develop the resources available to advance our drivers' skills.
- New driver training standards have been introduced across the UK Bus division. These incorporate continual professional development to meet the requirements of forthcoming European legislation that will require all new bus drivers to hold a Certificate of Professional Competence from September 2008.
- Following trials in Leeds we will be rolling out the Smith System Defensive Driving programme across the UK Bus division from the summer of 2007 starting with training of our bus driving instructors. The use of this driver training technique is already well established in North America and has supported an ongoing reduction in the vehicle collision rate.
- In addition we have been evaluating the use of Drivecam technology in London and York. These forward- and back-facing lenses trigger a camera to record events such as sharp braking. This information can be used to review driver behaviour which informs the learning process and can also capture useful information during collisions. The trials in London have contributed to a 90% reduction in unsafe driving behaviour and a 25% reduction in collisions. We are now evaluating the broader application of this technology.