Big Tick Award

Out of hundreds of entries, Adelaide honoured in the UK’s leading awards for road safety programmes.

Adelaide is among a small group of businesses to receive Business in the Community’s (BITC) coveted National Big Tick for their “motorcycling and young driver road safety initiative programmes” entered into the category: Building Stronger Communities. The Big Tick award is the first level of award available to entrants of the national Awards for Excellence, which recognise inspirational programmes that are making a positive impact on the community, the environment or wider society.

“We are delighted to receive the Big Tick in this our 20th year! We have always taken a sustained approach to corporate responsibility and integrated it into our business strategy. For us, it has paid off both with customers, stakeholders and our employees. We know that we cannot build a successful sustainable business without constantly showing our commitment to being a better business.” Sam Geddis, Director of Adelaide Insurance Services.

What Adelaide’s done to achieve this award

- In 2002, many of the 19 motorcyclists killed on Northern Ireland roads were Adelaide’s customers. This shocking statistic made us realise that we had to get involved in a road safety initiative to help reduce death and serious injury for our customers and for the wider motorcycling community. We’ve since been working with the police in Northern Ireland by supporting their BikeSafe programme and offer bikers who successfully complete this riding assessment, a further discount on their motorcycle insurance.*

- More recently we formed the “Adelaide Advanced Motorcyclists” group which is enabling us to get BikeSafe candidates to advanced riding standard.

- Sam Geddis’s personal experience and parental concern for his daughter’s safety when she was learning to drive motivated Adelaide to develop a young car driver’s programme called Roadwise** in 2003 in partnership with the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) to educate and incentivise young drivers to take a driving test that could reduce the cost of their insurance.

* When arranged via Adelaide Insurance Services. Subject to insurers’ normal acceptance criteria and minimum premium.

**For 17-24 year old car drivers. To ensure the future development of Roadwise across the UK, all rights and administration of courses were taken over by the IAM.

Why Adelaide received a “Big Tick”award:

-3,000 motorcyclists have gone through Bikesafe and 700 young drivers have participated in Roadwise in Northern Ireland.

-Through our relationship with the IAM, Adelaide was appointed the IAM’s official insurance provider for car, home and motorcycle which has helped grow our business and as a consequence increased Adelaide’s number of employees.

- Safer drivers and riders on our roads also helps to keep cost of insurance down.

- Adelaide provides ongoing financial support to road safety projects and organisations.

-The average cost of a death on the road is £1.8 million in Northern Ireland. Adelaide’s initiatives have certainly played some part in reducing road deaths and serious injuries by 2010 to their lowest levels in many years.

Take a look at the BITC Awards showcase here: www.bitc.org.uk/awards (Only live on 8 June)

For further information about these awards, please click here.