The QFleet Safe Driving Guide

This Guide informs employees about safe driving practices so that the risk of harm to themselves and other road users is reduced.

The Queensland Government is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its employees.

Driving a motor vehicle is a significant workplace health and safety risk.  Road crashes are the single largest cause of fatalities and injuries to workers in Australia each year.  It is one of the most dangerous activities an employee can carry out in the workplace.

Researchers have found work-related injuries from motor vehicle accidents are about twice as likely to result in death or permanent disability than other workplace accidents. Up to 26% of work-related deaths in Australia involve a motor vehicle.

Workplace Health and Safety legislation regards a vehicle used for the purpose of work as a workplace.

Employers are responsible for establishing and monitoring safe work practices and policies, including reference to work-related driving.
Employees have an obligation to comply with any instructions given by the employer for workplace health and safety.

All employees (permanent, temporary, casual, contract and/or agency staff) should understand their responsibilities when driving:

• a government owned, leased or hired vehicle during the course of conducting work
• to or from home in a government owned, leased or hired vehicle
• a private vehicle for official duties (with the appropriate prior approval).

Safer Drivers
Driving is a complex task. No matter how many years experience you have behind the wheel, it is important to keep pace with current trends in road safety and be aware of your responsibilities. It is important for you to know how to respond to adverse situations, to have a safety conscious attitude on the road and to display safe drive habits..

Safer Vehicles
All new vehicles do not provide the same levels of safety. From early 2009 QFleet will be progressively introducing minimum mandatory vehicle safety specifications to ensure that vehicles available to clients have optimal safety features.

Clients can also play an important role by ensuring that vehicles they order are the most suitable for their intended role, properly maintained, loaded correctly, and not modified or fitted with non approved accessories which might compromise the safety of the vehicle and other road users.