Transport operators and authorities will be able to boost safety through better communication, with the launch of the National Road Safety Partnership Program.

Sharing road safety knowledge will be made easier by the National Transport Commission (NTC) program, which offers a collaborative network of online tool and support to improving safety in workplace and on the road.

The partnership gives all industry members access to a range of schemes.

“Other organisations can simply find an idea that could work in their workplace and start implementing it,” NTC CEO Paul Retter says.

If organisations find something that works they should actively share it around – even to their competitors.

“Instead of governments bringing in more red take to keep employees safe, this program gets the same outcomes just by sharing success stories.”

Retter says the program could save lives.

“Following the success of seatbelts and speed cameras, road safety experts are now looking for the next big thing to reduce our road toll,” he said.

“Experts predict that road crashes will kill or injure 170,000 Australians over the next five years and work-related road crashes account for almost half of all Australian workplace deaths.

“If businesses share ways of keeping their employees safe on the road there is no doubt that they can have a significant impact on our road toll.”

Big names including Coca-Cola Amatil, BHP Billiton, Telstra, Uniting Care Queensland, Hanson, Holden, Shell and Origin Energy have signed up to the National Road Safety Partnership Program.

“Coca-Cola Amatil employees travel more than 56 million kilometres per year, which is why we are using a combination of e-learning and behaviour-based safety programs,” the drinks giant’s National Health and Safety Operations Manager, Neil Smedly said.

For more information is available here.