A new, free online risk assessment tool for SME’s has been created for the Driving for Better Business (DfBB) campaign.

The tool in association with FleetCheck and the Freight Transport Association’s (FTA)’s Van Excellence best practice programme, is available to use for free online.

RoadSafe’s campaigns director Simon Turner said: “This new online tool will help to make those benefits, including not just better safety but reduced costs and improved efficiency, much more apparent, providing fleet decision makers with an insightful overview of their operations."

It asks 50 questions covering four areas of fleet operations (the driver, the vehicle, the journey and the company) before producing an individual work-related road risk self-assessment report.

“The aim of the assessment is not to score 100% but, first, to highlight compliance gaps and, second, to identify opportunities that can really help deliver some significant business benefits and cost reductions. It is really step one on the road to adopting a formal and successful risk strategy,” said Turner.

FleetCheck’s managing director Peter Golding said: “We believe that this is a very worthwhile project that could have a definite impact on safety for many fleets that currently have a poor understanding of risk.

“It has only been made possible by FleetCheck working alongside Driving for Better Business and the FTA’s Van Exellence scheme, bringing together our expertise in different areas to deliver a very useful product that could potentially help save lives.”