Renault Trains Two-Wheeler Employees on Road Safety

PARIS – June 24, 2008: The number of Renault employees commuting with two-wheeled transport has risen significantly since 2000. Renault has responded to this increase by introducing special training courses for these employees, working with the road safety organism, La Conduite Préventive. The company is redoubling its efforts on this theme in June 2008, rolling out training at 12 Renault sites in France.

While on-duty accidents are relatively rare, Renault is convinced that the number of commuting accidents – including those with two-wheelers – can be further reduced. Although just 8% of Renault employees commute with two-wheeled vehicles, they account for 32% of work-related travel accidents with sick leave. As a responsible company and manufacturer, Renault is raising the road-risk awareness of its staff to reduce the number of two-wheeler accidents.

The one-day training course, financed by the company, is divided into theory and practice.The theory part is taught by the national police (the road unit of the Val de Marne force), while practical, on-track training is provided by La Conduite Préventive with the assistance of the police. The method consists in teaching motorbike riders to anticipate risky situations and adopt responsible road behavior. Participants learn through practical ontrack situations that anticipation and focused attention are key to avoiding accidents. People who have attended the course are thoroughly satisfied. “I feel sort of humbled. I arrived here thinking I knew it all, but the training course is an excellent way of remembering things we have forgotten. Everybody should know about it!” said one participant.

This operation is part of Renault’s “Working Conditions” policy. The safety of its employees is a priority for the company, which has been conducting such actions for over 40 years. This is why hundreds of people attend practical training courses on road safety every year. In 2008, 750 people will attend training courses on this subject. In parallel, the rate of commuting accidents resulting in sick leave has fallen steadily at Renault since 2000. The current rate is 2.2 per 1,000 employees, significantly lower than the national average.

Stronger action since 2003 Renault strengthened its preventive road safety program in 2003 by signing a road safety charter with the government in which the company committed to raising staff awareness and developing skills in this field. Since 2003, the Charte du Conducteur (Driver’s Charter) has been distributed to all of the Group’s worldwide employees (130,000 people, 16 languages, and 30 countries). Every year, tens of thousands of employees learn more about road safety through e-learning courses.

Renault designed a road risk board game in 2007 and distributed it to 100,000 employees via the internal newsletter. The Group has organized special events and forums at sites, posted an international quiz on the intranet, and distributed leaflets on the subject. It also implemented a special driving simulator in 2007 to round out these resources.