Designed to help reduce roadway crashes and the high costs associated with them, the new ANSI Z15.1 Safe Practices for Motor Vehicle Operations was approved in February by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), secretariat of the Z15 Accredited Standards Committee.

The standard offers guidelines for developing a motor vehicle safety program for employers regardless of the number of vehicles they have. It provides organizations with the minimum requirements for developing driver safety policies and procedures, applying to organization-owned and leased vehicles for business and personal use, and also rental vehicles for business use. The standard excludes off-road recreational vehicles and unlicensed equipment.

The Z15.1 standard addresses factors within the operational environment that may increase the likelihood of roadway crashes, such as impaired, distracted or aggressive driving practices, in addition to providing driver requirements from qualifications and training programs to recordkeeping, incident reporting and data analysis. It also provides motor vehicle safety guidelines for inspections and maintenance.

For more information on the Z15.1 standard (item 3387), which will soon be available for purchase, visit www.asse.org/z15.