Road safety in corporate fleet settings: Approaches from organisational and industrial psychology

Research into work-related driver safety in corporate vehicle fleets has provided some descriptive information about driving for work and some of the common approaches to fleet safety. However, a lack of theoretical underpinnings has constrained the scope of this research. This paper outlines some theories and conceptual approaches from organisational and industrial psychology which are applicable for researching work-related driving and designing fleet safety countermeasures. Approaches described relate to contextual performance, occupational stress, organisational culture and climate. In using these approaches, work-related driving is conceptualised as an organisational behaviour – a behaviour of employees which occurs in the organisational setting. These are consolidated into an integrated approach to fleet safety. In addition to enhancing the understanding of work-related driving, utilising this integrated approach will result in intervention strategies designed to target the key psychosocial and organisational factors involved