Selby case warning over sleepy drivers

Fleet risk management experts have called on company bosses to review working practices to make sure drivers don't nod off behind the wheel, after the driver found guilty of causing the deaths of 10 people in the Selby rail crash was jailed for five years.

Construction company boss Gary Hart was convicted last month of 10 charges of causing death by dangerous driving after a jury decided he had fallen asleep at the wheel of his Land Rover before it plunged off the M62, causing the Selby rail crash.

Now risk management assessment company Risk Answers is calling on employers to make drivers aware of the dangers of driving when tired.

Chris Howell, operations and finance director, said companies should analyse the workloads given to staff.

'Directors should not think the issue concerns employees who drive on company business. If staff work long hours at their offices and while driving home they are involved in an accident police may well investigate their workload in the future,' he said.

And he added: 'Firms must face reality and understand the stress and pressures faced by staff contribute to tiredness.

'Company bosses believe they are 'safe' but tougher enforcement of existing legislation and the adoption of new recommendations mean Selby should act as a wake-up call to every business.'

Road safety organisation Brake is calling on the Government to devise a code of practice for employers on driver tiredness. Chief executive Mary Williams said: 'Guidelines and requirements should be put in place to ensure that companies with fleets are aware of driver tiredness and their responsibility to avoid it.'
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