The danger that road driving still poses to rail workers is undeniable. Our most recent Road Risk Safety Performance Report shows that 26 road-related events were recorded in the Safety Management Intelligence System (SMIS) between April and June 2024.
In that same period, there was also a fatal road traffic accident during a worker’s commute from a worksite. Police and industry investigations into this tragedy are ongoing.
It’s important for us to remember that road traffic accidents are rarely down to driving skill alone. There’s often much more at play. For example, we must ask ourselves what happens—or what doesn’t happen—before starting a journey.
This Rail Industry Road Safety Week (November 18–22), for which we’re partnering with Driving for Better Business, the theme is ‘Back to Basics’. One key element of this messaging is vehicle checks.
It goes without saying that every road driver should complete these, including making sure they’re comfortable in and familiar with the vehicle, before setting off. But as a senior leader, you have an important role to play, too.
'I made the mistake of assuming I could drive the car like any other.'
We recently spoke with Dave Whelan, a train manager at GB Railfreight. He experienced a road traffic accident in the line of work.
For him, long-term fatigue—due to undiagnosed and unmanaged sleep apnoea—and a degree of vehicle unfamiliarity combined to become ‘the perfect storm.’ In the early hours of the morning, while driving an unfamiliar hire car on his way back from dropping off a freight train, he collided with a tree while leaving the motorway for the services.
When asked if he had any advice for others who drive for work, he said: ‘If you’re driving a car, just be prepared. I made the mistake of assuming that I could drive the car like any other car that I’ve driven. But it was just slightly different. And just that little bit of difference makes a huge difference in the long run.
‘I think if I’d have just set up a little bit, taken just a little more time to just set up and to plan before I started moving, then things like this could’ve been avoided.’