A Staffordshire company has scooped a major new contract to deliver road safety training for an education and outdoor activity provider’s fleet of drivers.
More than 160 drivers at Peak Education and Peak Activity Services are being trained on an E-learning road safety course developed by Cheadle based Adrian Hide Consultancy.
Audley based Peak have four registered independent day schools in Cannock, Gailey, Stoke-on-Trent and Audley. Along with six activity watersports and outdoor activity centres in the Cheshire, Staffordshire and South Yorkshire. The company ethos is Education through Adventure. Their drivers transport up to 100 pupils a day to and from the various locations along with towing trailers including 6m mobile climbing walls!
Adrian was commissioned to deliver a customised course to include a personal message from Peak’s Transport Manager, a module specifically for young drivers because of their team’s demographic and downloadable personal action plans and vehicle safety check forms.
Health and Safety Executive and Department of Transport figures show:
- Nearly three in ten collisions involve a young driver aged 17 to 24.
- One in five new drivers will have an accident within their first year of driving.
- More than a quarter of accidents will involve someone driving for work at the time of the incident.
Adrian who has more than thirty years working in road safety and delivering driver risk management services said: I’m delighted to be working with Peak and providing their road safety training. Although I deliver face to face training as well, they needed something virtual so they could fit it around their working day. I’ve been able to tailor the course to specifically meet their objectives taking into account that many of their drivers are young and that demographic is more likely to be involved in an accident.
Adrian added: “Health and Safety law imposes duty of care responsibilities on employers, to manage work-related risk in all areas of the business, including driving activities. Sometimes employers don’t realise that they have a responsibility to help keep staff safe when they drive as part of their job. Figures show that one in four collisions involve someone driving for work at the time of the accident so you can see how important it is that employers support driver training.”
Peak’s Transport Manager Andy Foster said: “Road safety is of paramount importance to us not just for the students we transport but for our drivers too. I really feel that it’s out duty to ensure our drivers are as skilled as possible. We have a very young workforce and because we know that statistically you’re more likely to have an accident when you’re younger we want to make sure we give our drivers the best training possible.
“I’ve been looking for a virtual course for our staff to go on for a while when I came across Adrian’s work. He has been absolutely fantastic. He designed something specifically for us and nothing has been too much trouble. The feedback we’ve had from the drivers who have already completed the course has been brilliant. They’ve told us they already feel far more aware and are putting into practice the things they’ve learnt. We will carry on working with Adrian to deliver our training and have made his course part of our mandatory training for all new starters.”
Lauryn Winter, 18, Apprentice Inclusive Education Practitioner said: “The course has really opened my eyes. I’m not the most experienced driver yet but I honestly thought I knew what I needed to know to make sure I was as safe as possible. Adrian’s course has really opened my eyes, not only just about safety but about fuel saving and your carbon footprint. I’ve learnt lots and it was enjoyable too.”
For more information, please go to: www.adrianhideconsultancy.co.uk
