SSE, a leading generator of renewable electricity, has extended its partnership with Applied Driving following success in compliance with permits to drive, as well as a significant reduction in collisions. Since the company’s driver risk management programme was launched in 2015 – implemented and managed by Applied Driving – SSE has significantly lowered the number of high-risk drivers, while reducing serious road traffic incidents.

“Our ongoing partnership with Applied Driving has consistently delivered measurable improvements in terms of road safety, legal compliance and duty of care,” explains Stephen Wilson, Group Road Risk Safety Manager at SSE. “By working together, we are well-placed to evolve our approach and continue to mitigate the threat of fleet risk within the business, enabling us to better protect our employees, the local communities we operate in, and the wider general public.”

Applied Driving’s Riskmapp platform hosts risk assessments, licence and grey fleet checks, permits to drive and e-learning access for 9,000 company and grey fleet drivers. As part of the permit to drive (PtD) process, each driver undergoes an annual risk profiling and licence check to ensure they meet legal and company requirements.

SSE’s extensive driver education programme is designed to combat fleet risk through targeted training, combining e-learning, classroom and in-vehicle sessions. Using insights from telematics data, risk assessments and post collision events to identify risks, supportive tools and actions can be issued to drivers where they need it most. Meanwhile, novice drivers – those under the age of 23 or with less than two years of driving experience – receive individual development plans and undertake essential skills training that includes a workshop and in-vehicle assessment.

Over the next 12 months, SSE will continue to evolve its training provision as part of its commitment to keep employees and members of the public safe on the roads. The company will integrate its fleet telematics system with Applied Driving’s Riskmapp system, so driving data can be shared, analysed, and automated actionable insights can be created. This will enable SSE drivers to take advantage of the Companion+ Telematics tool, which automatically assesses at-risk driving events and sends Triggered Training^TM in the form of safety messages, videos and e-learning modules tailored specifically to their individual needs.

Nigel Lawrence, Director of Client Partnerships at Applied Driving commented: “We are hugely excited by this latest extension with SSE, because it allows us to build on the road safety successes achieved to date. Our successful partnership demonstrates what can be accomplished by fleets through the creation and ongoing development of a sustainable safety culture that targets fleet risk and promotes responsible driving among employees.”

Applied Driving

About the Author: John Loughran