UPS Corporate Responsibility

UPS Road Code^SM Teen Safe Driving Program

In Partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Delivering UPS safety to teen drivers

UPS has been committed to the safety of its drivers and the public for more than 100 years. The UPS Foundation is building on UPS’s history of safe driving by introducing UPS Road Code, a fun and educational program that brings UPS’s safe-driving expertise to teenagers. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for American teenagers. According to the National Highway Safety Administration, in the last decade, over 68,000 teens have died in car crashes. Sixty-five percent of teen passenger deaths occur when another teenager is driving.

What is UPS Road Code?

UPS’s world class defensive driving methods have been adapted into UPS Road Code, a unique 4-week teen safe driving course. During one session per week, UPS volunteers present two hours of classroom instruction to young people ages 13 -18 at their local Boys and Girls Club.

Week 1: UPS’s core safe driving “code” or habits used by all UPS drivers. 
Week 2: Consequences of hazardous and distracted driving.
Week 3: Identifying road hazards on an interactive computer-based game
Week 4: Test driving skills on a simulator.

At the end of the final session, students, parents and UPS volunteers participate in a graduation ceremony. Top achievers are recognized with small incentives. Each student receives a certificate indicating UPS Road Code. Parents also will receive a copy of the Novice Driver’s Road Map safe driving booklet. 

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Road Code Locations

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Safety

A Commitment to Safety, Every Day

When you see a UPS package car or tractor-trailer driving along the highway, you are in good company. That’s because UPS drivers are among the safest on the road. Our 103,500 drivers log more than 2.5 billion miles a year and average less than one accident per million miles driven — an industry-leading statistic that earned us the nation’s highest award — the Green Cross for Safety.

Wherever UPSers are — Beijing, Barcelona or Boston, safety is at the forefront of service. We place a premium on safe driving and safe work methods. Whether it's the over 4,200 drivers who have 25 years or more without an accident, or the 2,400 employee-led health and safety committees companywide, UPS has developed industry-leading safety training programs and safety equipment.

Safety on the Road

Let’s face it, driving can be a dangerous task. Our attention is often lured away from the road by our phone, children and thoughts of dinner, any number of things. Even if we’re focused on the road ahead, what about those drivers next to or behind us? Unsafe drivers are everywhere. However, UPS drivers are trained to be safe, no matter what is happening around them.

UPS has been committed to the safety of its drivers and the public for decades and has developed industry-leading safety training programs and safety equipment.

How did our drivers get to be so safe? One reason for our outstanding record — UPS’s certified management trainers who train that massive group on an annual and periodic basis.

• UPS tractor-trailer drivers receive 80 hours of classroom and on-the-road training before operating equipment.
• Delivery drivers undergo an intensive six-day training program, including 20 hours of behind-the-wheel and classroom training, plus periodic training rides through their evaluation period.
• UPS drivers globally receive annual safety training rides and follow-up training in the event of an avoidable accident.
• UPS recognizes the achievements of safe drivers through the Circle of Honor and Safe Driving Hall of Fame Programs, awarding drivers who have no avoidable accidents during the course of their work.
• UPS Preventative Maintenance Inspection program ensures its fleet of vehicles is in prime shape so drivers can focus on their work.

Safety in Our Operations

Training is the cornerstone of safety in UPS’s global operations. We invest more than US$73 million per year on safety training and nearly 1.7 million hours of safety training for employees. Each year 54 different types of formal UPS safety training courses are taught worldwide.

Positions in our operations – sorting, loading and delivering packages – involve physical labor. To prevent injuries, we provide comprehensive safety training to employees to equip them with the knowledge, methods and tools necessary to work safely.

Among Our Programs:

• Comprehensive Health & Safety Process (CHSP): These non-management employee committees, co-chaired by a management representative, conduct facility audits, perform work practices and behavior analysis, conduct training and recommend work process and equipment changes.
  
• Safety Training: Every aspect of UPS operations has a wide range of training programs supporting it. UPS invests more than US$53 million in safety training alone, including over 1.3 million hours of safety-related training every year. Over 26 formal UPS safety training courses are taught in over 1,800 facilities worldwide.

Safety beyond UPS

UPS is recognized as a leader in safe driving and operations, consulting an array of government, private and consumer organizations on best practices.

• Five Tips on Safe Driving: UPS drivers are trained extensively in an array of safe driving techniques. At the foundation are “Five Seeing Habits”, tips that stress the importance of space and visibility when driving:
  • Aim High in Steering: Look as far down the road as possible to uncover important traffic information to make appropriate decisions.
  • Get the Big Picture: Maintain the proper distance so you can comfortably determine the true hazards around your vehicle. Don't tailgate others.
  • Keep Your Eyes Moving: Scan—don't stare. Constantly shift your eyes while driving. Active eyes keep up with changing traffic conditions.
  • Leave Yourself an Out: Be prepared. Surround your vehicle with space in front and at least one side to escape conflict.
  • Make Sure They Can See You: Communicate in traffic with your horn, lights and signals to establish eye contact with motorists and pedestrians. Be reasonably sure of peoples' intentions.
• Teen Driver Programs: UPS is working with the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) to develop The Novice Driver's Road Map, a guide for parents to instill safe driving habits in their children.
  Read More at the NETS site

Awards & Recognition

UPS is a company that is strives to be a good steward — of business, of the environment and of our communities. We don’t take our corporate citizenship for granted. Just like the trust of our customers — we know it has to be earned, continuously.

To view a complete list of awards and recognition, visit the UPS Pressroom.

• UPS named 2007 Green Cross for Safety Medal Recipient: The National Safety Council recognized UPS for its exemplary century-long commitment to workplace safety.

• Teaching Teens: The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators gave UPS its 2001 Gold Communicator Award for highway safety for educating parents and novice drivers with its publication, The Novice Driver’s Road Map. UPS partners with the Safe America Foundation’s “Teen Driving Institute” to provide simulation and text training to supplement the lack of drivers' education in schools.
  

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