For most drivers, being involved in a road traffic incident is still a rare occurrence and, in part, this is the reason why the effects of such an event can be hidden and concerning. Below we look at some key areas and recommend guidance on how you can support your employees in the event of a road traffic incident.
Immediately following the incident, the human body will try to protect us, which means that all the procedural items we need to do at the scene may get confused and challenged.
Regardless of the nature and severity of the incident most drivers suffer from an element of shock. This could be immediate or delayed, invisible or clear to see, from changes in behaviour or even appearance.
The levels of shock can precipitate from the brain replaying the incident and initial thoughts commencing with “why did this happen to me” transitioning to how fortunate the person was not to be more severely injured can present a reaction to delayed shock.
How can you help the driver and protect the business?
While drivers are not involved in incidents on a daily basis, employers may wish to consider if they provide sufficient adequate training for drivers to enable them to know how to keep safe at the scene of an incident, what to do and why.
Continuing to prevent incidents occurring in the first place is the right approach but if an incident does happen, we need to make sure all the right steps are in place to support the driver as they manage the challenges of the aftermath.
How can Willis Towers Watson assist?
Both our Transport Risk and Health and Wellbeing Practices can support you in making sure that both at the scene and post incident, the processes and procedures in place are appropriate and include all the actions necessary.