On 8th December, Frédéric Gardès, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of the COLAS Group, together with Marie Gautier-Melleray, Interministerial Government Delegate for Road Safety, signed the "Seven Commitments for a Safer Road" document. COLAS has been actively working with public authorities to improve road safety for 24 years. This new commitment also confirms the important role of COLAS in this field.
The aim of the partnership is to continue to innovate in the field of road risk prevention and mitigation. Since 1997, when the first commitment was signed with the interministerial delegation for road safety, the frequency of construction-related accidents at the COLAS Group, which has 30,000 employees in France alone, has fallen by more than 75 %.
This has been achieved through the continuous education of employees of the Group on the importance of a safe and responsible approach based on self-control and respect for others.
More than 400 specifically-trained employees of the "Road Safety Relay" organisation are in the field implementing the prevention programme defined by the Road Safety Steering Committee. This includes a wide range of activities, including training, checking of vehicle driving style, setting of speed limiters, etc.
The importance of road safety is also highlighted in the common safety rules that the Group introduced throughout all of its global subsidiaries in 2020 as a conjunction with the annual Safety Week event.
The Seven Commitments document highlights the importance of following the rules for safe road traffic, i.e. do not talk on the phone while driving, do not use intoxicants, fasten seat belts, avoid tiredness while driving, keep to the speed limit and maintain a safe distance.
"Safety is a key element of our commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility. By signing this document, we confirm that the protection of our employees and compliance with the rules of safe road traffic remains our priority," emphasises Frédéric Gardès, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of COLAS.