Shell Bulgaria presented the results from its Road Transport Safety Programme

Shell Bulgaria organised its annual Road Transport Safety Conference which brought together local and international Shell experts in the field of road safety, representatives of transport companies and Shell’s business partners, government officials, and NGOs. The meeting was a part of Shell’s Road Transport Safety Programme and was held in support of company’s commitment to the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.

“Safety is one of Shell’s highest priorities and we have a long-term commitment and proactive approach to road safety. The Shell Road Transport Safety Programme was introduced in 2009 in Bulgaria and originally targeted the companies transporting Shell fuels in Bulgaria but we expanded its concept. In order to achieve better results in the field of road safety we invited a wider number of stakeholders aiming to provoke a dialogue and share valuable experience and good practices,” said Mrs. Kamelia Slaveykova, Shell Bulgaria Country Chair.

During the meeting Shell presented company’s international experience and know-how in the field of road safety and its learnings from applying the Shell Transport Road Safety Programme in Bulgaria. “The programme aims to change employees’  attitude towards safety, and focus all stakeholders’ attention on the possibilities to improve road safety through series of measures, such as technical control, training, psychological support, journey management plan and technical requirements to the vehicles of companies transporting Shell fuels,” said Mr. Phil Rees, Shell Global Road Transport  Safety Advisor.

The Programme is based on Shell’s 12 Life-Saving rules, which are obligatory for all company’s employees and business partners. The KPIs which Shell monitors as part of the programme - working hours, speeding, harsh break and harsh acceleration are improved every year. Eng. Krasimir Vasilev, Engineer, Branch Manager at Klacska Bulgaria explained that since the programme was introduced, it has contributed not only to improving the focus on road safety but has also had positive economic impact. Up to now it has lead to a 30 percent decrease in fleet maintenance costs, along with a 5 percent decrease in fuel costs.

The Conference also gave an opportunity to discuss the draft National Road Safety Strategy, which was presented by Mr. Aleksi Kesyakov, Secretary of the State-Public Consultative Commission on the Problems of Road Safety. The draft strategy aroused the interest of participants in the conference and gave grounds for a fruitful discussion. According to Mr. Kesyakov Shell’s programme is a major strategic instrument for improving road safety. He also added that Shell Bulgaria’s experience in the field of road safety should be considered a valuable example for other organisations in the country which have to invest in contributing to road safety.

In addition, representatives of automotive companies presented different aspects of road safety e.g. Volvo Trucks and Porsche Bulgaria focused on the new active and passive safety systems for trucks and cars while Bridgestone Bulgaria announced results from car tyre safety tests.